Judge Robert Hinkle
North Florida U.S. District Court
Robert Lewis Hinkle was born in November 1961 in Apalachicola, Florida. He earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He was a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia, then in Tallahassee, Florida. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Florida State University.
Hinkle was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in August 1996. He served five years as chief judge and took senior status in 2016.
In the News…
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida can move forward with a new rule barring Medicaid funds from being spent on sex-change and other transgender-related interventions.
A group of transgender rights organizations filed a preliminary injunction request against the rule after it was implemented by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration in August. The transgender advocates had alleged that the rule, which prevents the state from covering most “gender-affirming” care via Medicaid, violated the equal protections clause of the constitution.
Judge Hinkle ruled against the request, stating that the challenge to the rule was not a constitutional one, but rather a question about the Medicaid statute. “There’s nothing wrong with the state saying they will approve treatment for this and not that,” the judge determined. “The question here is about the Medicaid statute.”
The Florida rule applies to procedures including sex-change surgeries, behavioral therapy, and hormone therapy
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Hinkle today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Robert Hinkle
North Florida U.S. District Court
United States Court House
111 N Adams St
Tallahassee, FL 32301
