Judge D. Wade Mercer: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Hon. D. Wade Mercer is a judge for the Jackson County Court in Florida. He was elected to the bench on November 6, 2012.

Prior to his election, Mercer sat as a Traffic Court hearing officer in Jackson County (2007 to 2012) and a child support hearing officer for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit (2005 to 2012).

He also spent time in private practice at the Mercer Law Office (2003 to 2012) and the Baker & Mercer Law Office (2001 to 2003). His areas of practice included boundary line disputes, real estate issues, wills, probate, personal injury, and criminal defense matters.

Mercer received an A.A. from Chipola College (1990) and a B.S. in mathematics education from Florida State University (1992). He went on to complete a J.D. at Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law, in 1995.

He was admitted to practice in Florida (1995) and Georgia (2001).

After graduating from law school, Mercer began his legal career as an assistant state attorney with the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit in Jackson County (1995 to 2001). During his tenure there, he was tasked with prosecuting criminal cases and later worked his way up to prosecuting crimes of violence. In addition to his work as a prosecutor, Mercer taught law enforcement training and academic courses at Chipola College.

He is a past president of the Marianna Optimist Club and sat on the Board of Directors for the Jackson County Habitat for Humanity, Jackson County Teen Court, Light the Way for Kids of Jackson County Scholarship Foundation, and A Women's Pregnancy Center. Mercer also served on the Executive Board of the Chipola Baptist Association.

Mercer was born and raised in the Dellwood/Cypress area of Jackson County. He attended Grand Ridge High School, where he graduated valedictorian in 1989. He and his wife, Olivia, have four children. Mercer is a member of First Baptist Church in Marianna, where he has taught Sunday School.