Judge Dave Lee Brannon

Judge Dave Lee Brannon, 68, of Lake Clarke Shores, Florida passed away peacefully on May 18, 2021. He is survived by his beloved wife Dr. Pamela Tarquinio Brannon; his brother-in-law Christopher Tarquinio; his sister-in-law, Susan Tarquinio; and his niece, Gianna Rose Tarquinio. Judge Brannon was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge on February 24, 2012. He was reappointed for a second term on February 4, 2020. He joined the Southern District of Florida Federal Public Defender’s Office in 1986 and served as Supervisor of the West Palm Beach office prior to being appointed to the bench. Prior to joining the Federal Public Defender’s Office, he served in the United States Coast Guard.  During his years in the United States Coast Guard, his favorite assignment was aboard the USCGC Glacier (WAGB-4), an icebreaker which took him to both the North and South Poles. His last Coast Guard assignment was with the Seventh Coast Guard District Legal Office and Intelligence Branch, in Miami, Florida, from 1980–1986. Additionally, from 1990–2007, and again in 2009, Judge Brannon was an Adjunct Professor at Florida Atlantic University where he taught law related courses in Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Public Administration. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1980 and from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1975.

Judge Brannon received many service awards and accolades over the course of his distinguished career. In 2002, he received the Exceptional Faculty Award from the FAU College of Arts and Letters on the J.D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, Florida. He served a term as President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of American Inns of Court. He also served as President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He held the high honor of being a two-time Federal Bar Association Ryskamp Award recipient, once in his capacity as Supervisor of the West Palm Beach Federal Public Defender’s Office (2007) and again in his individual capacity as a United States Magistrate Judge (2016).