Craig McCarthy
Encyclopedia
Craig Alan McCarthy is a lawyer and politician from Orlando, Florida
. He moved to Florida in 1979, and graduated from the United States Military Academy
in 1989, serving as a member of the Berlin Brigade
until returning to the United States to attend law school at Florida State University College of Law
. He has practiced many areas of law, eventually opening his own practice for primarily dependency law. He has been an attorney on multiple cases that have gained both national and international attention, including the Rifqa Bary case and the Sharlyn Singh case. He was elected to the Ochlockonee River
Soil and Water Conservation District and ran for the Florida House of Representatives
out of District 36 as a Republican
.
and moved to Brevard County, Florida
with his family in 1979 at the age of eleven. McCarthy attended Satellite High School
, where he served as student body president
; he graduated in 1985.
on the nomination of United States Senator
Paula Hawkins
and then-Congressman Bill Nelson
, graduating in 1989. After graduation, McCarthy became a commissioned officer in the United States Army
, serving as a field artillery
officer at Fort Sill
in Oklahoma
. Following this appointment, McCarthy was deployed overseas as a member of the Berlin Brigade
. In Berlin
, he was the youngest battalion staff level fire support
officer in the United States military. McCarthy left active military service in 1992, but returned to service as a member of the United States Army Reserve
.
from Florida State University College of Law
. He began practicing law in Florida in 1995; his career has covered multiple areas of law. Following graduation from law school, McCarthy began his career as a legal aid
in Central Florida
. Afterward, he worked in medical license regulation for the state of Florida, and then in employment and civil rights law.
Moving to Orlando in 2001, McCarthy worked for the Florida Department of Children and Families, before opening a private firm, where he practices juvenile and dependency law and as an attorney ad litem for children in lock-down mental facilities.
McCarthy moved to have the case moved back to Ohio
, which it eventually was. He also alleged that the girl's story of travel to Florida had "holes in it". He criticized Governor Charlie Crist
for commenting on the case, referring to the statements as inappropriate for someone who was the boss of attorneys on both sides of the case. He compared the Crist comments to the general politicization he saw in the case. Arguing against Christian versus Muslim sentiments in the case, McCarthy tried to dispel the perception that the parents were fundamentalists. He never billed the state for his work.
Soil and Water Conservation District while living in Leon County, Florida
. He ran for the Florida House of Representatives
out of District 36, against incumbent Scott Randolph
, receiving early support from Conservatives. He, along with local Tea Party leaders and politicians, drove in a caravan to Arizona to support its immigration law
, claiming selective immigration enforcement is uncompassionate and causes people to live in fear, and that the federal government has failed in its duties to protect the people of Arizona. McCarthy lost the race to Greg Reynolds in the Republican primary.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He moved to Florida in 1979, and graduated from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1989, serving as a member of the Berlin Brigade
Berlin Brigade
After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation lasted throughout the Cold War...
until returning to the United States to attend law school at Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University in Tallahassee. The law school's highly accomplished and accessible law faculty delivers a program that has an interdisciplinary orientation designed to produce well-rounded and effective lawyers.The law school...
. He has practiced many areas of law, eventually opening his own practice for primarily dependency law. He has been an attorney on multiple cases that have gained both national and international attention, including the Rifqa Bary case and the Sharlyn Singh case. He was elected to the Ochlockonee River
Ochlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.- Background :The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida...
Soil and Water Conservation District and ran for the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
out of District 36 as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Early life
McCarthy was born in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and moved to Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population is 536,521, making it the 10th most populous county in the state. Influenced by the presence of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard...
with his family in 1979 at the age of eleven. McCarthy attended Satellite High School
Satellite High School
Satellite High School is a public high school located in Satellite Beach, Florida in Florida's Space Coast, Brevard County. It was founded in 1962, and has been rated an 'A' school in the state of Florida for the past four years. The 2007 - 2008 enrollment for Satellite was 1,414 students...
, where he served as student body president
Student body president
The President of the Student Government is the highest ranking officer of a student government or student union association on the high school, college, or university level...
; he graduated in 1985.
Military service
McCarthy attended the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
on the nomination of United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins was an U.S. politician from Florida. She is to date the only woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida. She was the first woman ever elected to a full term in the Senate without a family connection....
and then-Congressman Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson is the senior United States Senator from the state of Florida and a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former U.S. Representative and former Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida...
, graduating in 1989. After graduation, McCarthy became a commissioned officer in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, serving as a field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
officer at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Following this appointment, McCarthy was deployed overseas as a member of the Berlin Brigade
Berlin Brigade
After the end of World War II, under the conditions of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, Allied forces occupied West Berlin. This occupation lasted throughout the Cold War...
. In Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he was the youngest battalion staff level fire support
Fire support
Fire support is long-range firepower provided to a front-line military unit. Typically, fire support is provided by artillery or close air support , and is used to shape the battlefield or, more optimistically, define the battle...
officer in the United States military. McCarthy left active military service in 1992, but returned to service as a member of the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
.
Legal career
McCarthy received his Juris DoctorJuris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law
Florida State University College of Law is the law school of Florida State University in Tallahassee. The law school's highly accomplished and accessible law faculty delivers a program that has an interdisciplinary orientation designed to produce well-rounded and effective lawyers.The law school...
. He began practicing law in Florida in 1995; his career has covered multiple areas of law. Following graduation from law school, McCarthy began his career as a legal aid
Legal aid in the United States
Legal aid in the United States appeared as early as the 1870s, but for the most part, the U.S. legal aid system remained piecemeal and underfunded until well into the 20th century....
in Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
. Afterward, he worked in medical license regulation for the state of Florida, and then in employment and civil rights law.
Moving to Orlando in 2001, McCarthy worked for the Florida Department of Children and Families, before opening a private firm, where he practices juvenile and dependency law and as an attorney ad litem for children in lock-down mental facilities.
Sharlyn Singh case
In 2007, an Orlando women was accused of putting her 11-month old baby in an oven. McCarthy was appointed to the case, and eventually got the dependency case dropped, and the child reunified with the mother.Rifqa Bary case
McCarthy served as a lawyer for Aysha Bary for a good part of the Rifqa Bary case. He claimed that Rifqa Bary was not being taught the faith correctly, and that the dependency case had become a "television event". He further argued that neither of the Bary's had ever threatened their daughter.McCarthy moved to have the case moved back to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, which it eventually was. He also alleged that the girl's story of travel to Florida had "holes in it". He criticized Governor Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
for commenting on the case, referring to the statements as inappropriate for someone who was the boss of attorneys on both sides of the case. He compared the Crist comments to the general politicization he saw in the case. Arguing against Christian versus Muslim sentiments in the case, McCarthy tried to dispel the perception that the parents were fundamentalists. He never billed the state for his work.
Political career
McCarthy successfully ran for and served on the board of the Ochlockonee RiverOchlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.- Background :The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida...
Soil and Water Conservation District while living in Leon County, Florida
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
. He ran for the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
out of District 36, against incumbent Scott Randolph
Scott Randolph
Scott Randolph was born October 17, 1973 in Johnson City, Tennessee and has been a Florida resident since 2002. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives as a Democrat on November 7, 2006.- Biography :...
, receiving early support from Conservatives. He, along with local Tea Party leaders and politicians, drove in a caravan to Arizona to support its immigration law
Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act
The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act is a legislative Act in the U.S. state of Arizona that at the time of passage was the broadest and strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in recent U.S. history...
, claiming selective immigration enforcement is uncompassionate and causes people to live in fear, and that the federal government has failed in its duties to protect the people of Arizona. McCarthy lost the race to Greg Reynolds in the Republican primary.