Hon. Donald W. Hafele

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<div class="infobox person"><div class="widget-row value-only ">Donald W. Hafele</div>
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Florida 15th Circuit Court </div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;text-align:center;">Tenure</div>
<div style="text-align:center;">Present officeholder</div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;text-align:center;">Term ends</div>
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<p> 2023
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<p> <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="https://ballotpedia.org/Help:Report_an_error">Report an officeholder change</a>
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<p> Education
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<div class="widget-key">Bachelor's</div>
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<p> University of Miami, 1979
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<p> University of Miami, 1982
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<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#Education"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Education</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="#Career"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Career</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="#Elections"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Elections</span></a>
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<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4"><a href="#2016"><span class="tocnumber">3.1</span> <span class="toctext">2016</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="#2010"><span class="tocnumber">3.2</span> <span class="toctext">2010</span></a></li>
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<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="#Footnotes"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Footnotes</span></a></li>
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<p><b>Donald W. Hafele</b> is a judge of the <a href="/Florida_15th_Circuit_Court" title="Florida 15th Circuit Court">15th Judicial Circuit Court</a> in <a href="/Florida" title="Florida">Florida</a>. He was appointed to this position by Gov. <a href="/Charlie_Crist" title="Charlie Crist">Charlie Crist</a> on <a href="/C2008#October" class="mw-redirect" title="C2008">October 22, 2008</a>. He replaced the late Judge Jeffrey Winikoff. He was re-elected to a new six-year term in 2016.<sup id="cite_ref-appointment_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-appointment-1">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-candidates_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-candidates-2">[2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Education">Education</span></h2>
<p>Hafele received his B.A. and <a href="/J.D." class="mw-redirect" title="J.D.">J.D.</a> degrees from the University of Miami in 1979 and 1982, respectively.<sup id="cite_ref-bio_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bio-4">[4]</a></sup>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Career">Career</span></h2>
<p>Hafele worked as a civil litigator from 1982 until 1999, when he was appointed to the <a href="/Palm_Beach_County_Court,_Florida" title="Palm Beach County Court, Florida">Palm Beach County Court</a>. There he served as the administrative judge of the civil division from 2000 to 2005. He was elevated to the circuit court in 2008.<sup id="cite_ref-bio_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bio-4">[4]</a></sup>
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<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Elections">Elections</span></h2>
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="2016">2016</span></h3>
<dl><dd><dl><dd><i>See also: <a href="/Florida_local_trial_court_judicial_elections,_2016" title="Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2016">Florida local trial court judicial elections, 2016</a></i></dd></dl></dd></dl><p>
Florida's 20 <a href="/Florida_Circuit_Court" title="Florida Circuit Court">circuit courts</a> all had seats up for election in 2016. Of the 151 seats up for election, 125 saw only one candidate file for the election. The unopposed races were canceled and the sole candidates were automatically elected. Of the 26 opposed races, only 10 saw more than two candidates file. <sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup></p><div class="results-box-2016"><table width="490px" class="bptable gray collapsible" id="collapsibleTable0">
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<th style="color:white;background-color: #444;text-align:center" colspan="3"><span class="collapseButton">[<a id="collapseButton0" href="javascript:collapseTable(0);" onclick="ga('send', {'hitType':'event','eventCategory':'HNT opened'});" style="color: white;">hide</a>]</span><b>Florida 15th Circuit Court, Group 31 Primary Election, 2016</b></th>
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<tr><td width="275px" style="color:white;background-color:grey;text-align:center">Candidate</td></tr><tr><td width="275px" style="text-align:center"><a href="/Won" title="Won"><img alt="Green check mark transparent.png" src="https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/thumb/0/0a/Green_check_mark_transparent.png/14px-Green_check_mark_transparent.png" width="14" height="14" srcset="https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/thumb/0/0a/Green_check_mark_transparent.png/21px-Green_check_mark_transparent.png 1.5x, https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/thumb/0/0a/Green_check_mark_transparent.png/28px-Green_check_mark_transparent.png 2x" data-file-width="100" data-file-height="100"></a> <b><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Donald W. Hafele</a></b> <small><i><b>Incumbent</b></i></small></td></tr><tr>
<td style="text-align:left" colspan="3"><i>Source:</i> <a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="https://results.elections.myflorida.com/Index.asp?ElectionDate=8/30/2016&amp;DATAMODE="><i>Florida Department of State Division of Elections</i>, "August 30, 2016 Primary Election," accessed December 19, 2016</a></td>
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<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="2010">2010</span></h3>
<p>Hafele ran unopposed and was automatically <a href="/Retention_election" title="Retention election">retained</a> to a new term.<sup id="cite_ref-candidates_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-candidates-2">[2]</a></sup>
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<dl><dd><i>Main article: <a href="/Florida_judicial_elections,_2010" title="Florida judicial elections, 2010">Florida judicial elections, 2010</a></i></dd></dl>
<div id="div-gpt-ad-1548351761485-0"><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1548351761485-0"); });</script></div><h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Footnotes">Footnotes</span></h2>
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<li id="cite_note-appointment-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-appointment_1-0" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up">?</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-10-23/news/0810220451_1_hafele-circuit-court-bench-circuit-judge-s-seat"><i>Sun Sentinel</i>, "Crist appoints Hafele to the Circuit Court bench," October 23, 2008</a></span>
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<li id="cite_note-candidates-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">? ^{<a href="#cite_ref-candidates_2-0"><span class="cite-accessibility-label">Jump up to: </span>2.0</a>} ^{<a href="#cite_ref-candidates_2-1">2.1</a>}</span> <span class="reference-text"><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="http://election.dos.state.fl.us/candidate/CanDetail.asp?account=51327"><i>Florida Division of Elections</i>, "Donald Hafele, 2010"</a></span>
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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-3" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up">?</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/Judicial_selection_in_Florida" title="Judicial selection in Florida">Judicial selection in Florida</a></span>
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<li id="cite_note-bio-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">? ^{<a href="#cite_ref-bio_4-0"><span class="cite-accessibility-label">Jump up to: </span>4.0</a>} ^{<a href="#cite_ref-bio_4-1">4.1</a>}</span> <span class="reference-text"><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="http://15thcircuit.co.palm-beach.fl.us:8080/web/guest/hafele/bio"><i>15th Judicial Circuit</i>: Donald W. Hafele biography</a></span>
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<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-5" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up">?</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="http://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/canlist.asp"><i>Florida Department of State</i>, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed July 5, 2016</a></span>
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