A lawsuit that sought to compel a Florida judicial nominating commission to supply a copy of a federal judge’s application documents has faltered before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which found there was no need for the commission to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request.

Plaintiff Joshua Statton of nonprofit government watchdog group Florida for Transparency sued in February 2019 after the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission refused to provide the application form and supporting documents that U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber in the Middle District of Florida submitted before his elevation.