Passing of Judge Sanders Sauls
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN
Editor
It is with great sadness I note the passing of retired Circuit Judge N. Sanders Sauls on Saturday, Aug. 28. He was the circuit judge assigned to Wakulla County for many years.
Back in the old days, I’d sometimes bring one of my three daughters to work with me, usually on court days, and we’d sit in Judge Sauls’ courtroom. My youngest daughter, Harper, misunderstood the judge’s last name and called him “Judge Saucer.”
He gained notoriety in the 2000 election debacle and presided over Gore v. Bush in Leon County. When the Florida Supreme Court rejected his decision, he stepped down from the case without explanation.
A lot of news stories from that time described him as “folksy.” I always thought he was down-to-earth, and didn’t have time for folderol. And he had a wry sense of humor.
I recall one time he ordered bailiffs to take a disruptive defendant and duct tape his mouth shut.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, Sept. 3, at Golden Eagle in Tallahassee at 2 p.m.
William Snowden is the editor and publisher of The Wakulla Sun.