John Merrett was born in Jacksonville and attended local schools through college. He then attended Florida State University, where he received his law degree with Honors. He worked at the State Attorney’s Office for about 6 years and has spent about 15 years in private practice.

He served as a Circuit Judge in Duval County for 6 years, handling Felony, Juvenile, Family Law, and Domestic Violence cases. He has been married for more than 30 years and has two grown sons.

He considers the courtroom his second home and prefers to handle cases that are destined for trial.