PUBLIC DEFENDER CHARLIE COFER RECEIVES FACDL’S HIGHEST HONOR

Fourth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Charles G. “Charlie” Cofer is the 2026 recipient of the Steven M. Goldstein Criminal Justice Award, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ highest honor.

The group cited Cofer’s nearly five decades in the criminal justice system, including service as a county court judge, and the “rare and meaningful arc” of his career.

“He began as a public defender, served the public from the bench, and then chose to return to public defense when his community needed steady and experienced leadership,” said FACDL President Aaron Wayt. “At every stage, Charlie has shown that the criminal justice system is strongest when it is guided by respect for the rights of every person who comes before the court.”

During his nearly two decades as an assistant public defender, including 10 years on the Homicide Team, Cofer managed thousands of cases, including more than 63 contested jury trials, 26 of those homicide trials, the group notes.

Today, Cofer leads an office of 150 employees and focuses on training young lawyers, supporting senior litigators, and strengthening the office’s work in specialty courts, including Veterans Treatment Court, Mental Health Court, and Drug Court, according to the group.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, Cofer shared his office’s videoconferencing equipment with the local court system and offered other technical support to make sure that cases continued to move, FACDL notes.

A graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Cofer entered private practice before joining the Fifth Circuit Public Defender’s Office in 1980.

In 1998, Cofer was appointed to the Duval County Court, where he served for 17 years and was selected twice by fellow judges to serve as Duval County Court administrative judge.

Cofer left the bench in 2015 and was elected public defender in 2016. A former FACDL president, Cofer is serving a third term.

The Goldstein Award “recognizes an individual whose service reflects the best of the criminal justice profession and whose work inspires others to act with integrity and independence, protecting and defending the rights of others.”

Teresa J. Sopp, a FACDL Life Member, nominated Cofer, saying he “exemplifies the highest standards of integrity, independence, expertise and courage in the criminal justice profession.”