Judge James F. Stewart was appointed to the Twentieth Circuit bench by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2025. Judge Stewart was born and raised in Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in Spanish. He attended Northeastern University School of Law and received his Juris Doctor degree in 2007.

Prior to his appointment, Judge Stewart served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit for over 17 years. In 2022, Judge Stewart became a Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney leading the Collier County Office where he trained, managed, and mentored other prosecutors. In his career at the State Attorney’s Office, Judge Stewart prosecuted many high-profile cases, including a number of homicides.

Judge Stewart has served as a director on the boards of both the Collier County Bar Association and the Collier County Bar Foundation, and is a member of the Michael R.N. McDonnell Chapter of the American Inns of Court. He is a previous Chair of Twentieth Circuit Grievance Committee “B”, and a previous Vice Chair of the Florida Bar’s Criminal Procedure Rules Committee. In 2023, Judge Stewart was appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to serve on the Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases. In 2026, the Florida Supreme Court reappointed Judge Stewart to a second term on the committee. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Florida Bar’s Constitutional Judiciary Committee.

Judge Stewart is married with two children. Judge Stewart’s wife, Ashli, was born and raised in Collier County, and also practices law in Naples.

Judge Stewart is currently assigned to the Unified Family Court docket, handling primarily juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency cases, along with truancy court.