Hon. Ashley B. Moody (Ret.) was a judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Hillsborough County. She was elected to the bench in 2006, becoming the youngest judge in Florida. Moody resigned in 2017 and was elected Attorney General of Florida.
Moody held assignments in the Unified Family Court, Domestic Relations/Family Law, Criminal Justice Felony, and Unified Family Court, Juvenile Delinquency Divisions. She was also an associate administrative judge of the Juvenile Delinquency Division. In addition, she is credited with establishing the Attorney Ad Litem Program as well as a mentoring program for at-risk children in the juvenile delinquency system.
Prior to joining the bench, Moody served as an assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Florida. During her tenure as a federal prosecutor, she handled drug, firearm, and fraud offenses. Moody also garnered recognition from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for her efforts as the lead of Operation Round-Up, which targeted violent and repeat offenders.
Moody received a B.S. in accounting from the University of Florida and a master's degree in accounting from the University of Florida, Fisher School of Accounting. She went on to earn a J.D. from the University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law, and an LL.M. in international law from Stetson University College of Law.
After graduating from law school, Moody handled commercial litigation matters as an associate at Holland & Knight. She also interned for Martha Barnett, former president of the American Bar Association. Moody supplemented her practice by teaching as an adjunct professor at Stetson University College of Law, and she was a judicial faculty member of the Florida New Judges College.
Her memberships included the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Tampa Bay Family Law Inn of Court. She is a past president of the Herbert G. Goldburg Criminal Law American Inn of Court. Moody also sat as a member of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges Executive Committee, the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Courthouse Security Committee, the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Budget Committee, the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Oversight Committee, the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Technology Committee, and The Florida Bars Juvenile Court Rules Committee.
Moody was born in Plant City, Florida. Her father, the Hon. James S. Moody, Jr., is a senior justice of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
She is registered as a Republican.
