Ashley Moody

Ashley Moody
Official portrait, 2025
Ashley Moody
Born	Ashley Brooke Moody 28 3, 1975
Birthplace	Plant City, Florida, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney
Known for	38th Attorney General of Florida; U.S. Senator from Florida
Education	University of Florida (BS, MS, JD), Stetson University (LLM)
Spouse(s)	Justin Duralia
Children	2

Ashley Brooke Moody (born March 28, 1975) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Florida since January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Moody previously served as the 38th Attorney General of Florida from 2019 to 2025. Before entering statewide politics, she served for a decade as a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County, Florida. Born in Plant City, Florida, into a family with deep roots in the legal profession — her father, James S. Moody Jr., is a federal judge — Moody built a career that moved from civil litigation to federal prosecution, from the bench to the state's top law enforcement office, and ultimately to the United States Senate. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio, who resigned to serve as Secretary of State under President Donald Trump. Moody is running for the Republican nomination in the 2026 special election to retain the seat.

Early Life

Ashley Brooke Moody was born on March 28, 1975, in Plant City, Florida, a small city in eastern Hillsborough County known for its agricultural heritage, particularly strawberry farming. She grew up in a family with strong ties to the legal system. Her father, James S. Moody Jr., went on to serve as a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida, a background that shaped her early exposure to law and public service.

The Moody family's involvement in the legal profession provided Ashley with an environment steeped in judicial tradition. The influence of her father's career on the federal bench was a formative element that she later cited as a motivating factor in her own pursuit of a legal career and eventual entry into public service.

Moody was registered as a member of the Democratic Party from 1993 to 1998, before switching her party affiliation to the Republican Party in 1998, a registration she has maintained since.

Education

Moody pursued her undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree. She continued at the University of Florida's Fredric G. Levin College of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctor (JD). She subsequently earned a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. Her academic credentials, spanning three degrees from the University of Florida and an advanced legal degree from Stetson, provided the foundation for a career that would span private practice, federal prosecution, and the judiciary.

Career

Early Legal Career

After completing her legal education, Moody entered the field of civil litigation, working in private practice. She subsequently transitioned to public service as an Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida, where she handled federal cases. Her experience in both civil litigation and federal prosecution gave her a breadth of legal experience that would later inform her judicial and political careers.

Circuit Court Judge (2007–2017)

In 2006, Moody was elected as a circuit court judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, which serves Hillsborough County. She took office on January 2, 2007, succeeding Judge Susan Sexton. At the time of her election, she was reported to be one of the youngest judges in the state's history to serve on a circuit court bench.

During her tenure on the bench, Moody served as a trial court judge presiding over a range of civil and criminal matters. She remained in the position for over a decade, building a judicial record that would become the foundation of her subsequent political campaigns.

In April 2017, Moody abruptly resigned from the circuit court, a move that prompted immediate speculation about her political ambitions. She was succeeded on the bench by Judge Jennifer Gabbard. Shortly after her resignation, Moody filed to run for Attorney General of Florida.

Attorney General of Florida (2019–2025)

Moody won the 2018 election for Attorney General of Florida and took office on January 8, 2019, succeeding Pam Bondi. She served under Governor Ron DeSantis throughout her tenure in the role.

Affordable Care Act

As attorney general, Moody supported legal efforts to invalidate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal health care law enacted under President Barack Obama. Florida joined a multistate lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ACA, a position that drew criticism from Democratic state lawmakers who argued that striking down the law would harm millions of Floridians who relied on its insurance protections and coverage provisions.

Recreational Cannabis Opposition

One of Moody's most prominent positions as attorney general involved her opposition to the legalization of recreational cannabis in Florida. In 2021, a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana use was dealt a blow when the Florida Supreme Court ruled against the ballot language, a result that Moody's office had actively sought. The Florida Supreme Court issued another defeat to the marijuana legalization effort in June 2021, further reinforcing the legal obstacles that proponents faced.

The issue returned to prominence in 2024 when the Florida Supreme Court approved a new ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana, clearing the way for voters to decide on the matter in the November 2024 election. Governor DeSantis opposed the measure, and Moody's office had continued to fight legalization efforts throughout her tenure.

2020 Presidential Election and Texas v. Pennsylvania

During the 2020 presidential election, Moody publicly supported President Donald Trump's re-election campaign in Florida. Following the election, she joined the lawsuit Texas v. Pennsylvania, in which the state of Texas asked the Supreme Court of the United States to invalidate the election results in four swing states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin — that had been won by President-elect Joe Biden. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case in December 2020.

Moody's involvement in the post-election legal challenges drew scrutiny. Reporting by the Tampa Bay Times revealed that she had worked with a group linked to the January 6 Capitol breach, though the extent and nature of that connection were subjects of ongoing coverage.

Vaccine Passport Ban and Cruise Industry

In 2021, after Governor DeSantis signed legislation banning so-called "vaccine passports" in Florida — prohibiting businesses from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination — the Norwegian Cruise Line filed a legal challenge against the law. Moody's office defended the state's position, arguing in court filings against the cruise line's challenge to the vaccine passport ban.

Abortion-Related Legal Actions

Moody's tenure as attorney general also intersected with legal and political battles over abortion access in Florida. In 2024, as a proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights gathered momentum through petition campaigns, the political and legal landscape surrounding the issue drew significant attention, with the attorney general's office playing a role in reviewing and responding to such ballot initiatives.

United States Senator (2025–present)

Appointment

In January 2025, following Donald Trump's inauguration as President of the United States, Marco Rubio resigned his Senate seat to serve as Secretary of State. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Moody to fill the vacancy. She was sworn in on January 21, 2025, becoming the junior U.S. senator from Florida, serving alongside senior Senator Rick Scott. James Uthmeier succeeded her as Attorney General of Florida.

Legislative Activity

In the Senate, Moody has engaged in legislative activity alongside her Florida counterpart, Senator Rick Scott. In December 2025, Moody and Scott joined Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee to introduce the Halo Act, legislation designed to establish penalties for obstructing immigration enforcement officers.

Also in December 2025, both Moody and Scott voted against a proposal to extend health care subsidies for three years. The measure was ultimately defeated in the Senate.

In September 2025, Moody and Scott sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick asking the Trump administration to continue efforts to block a global carbon tax proposal from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which they argued threatened U.S. trade and national security.

In early 2026, Moody raised concerns during a Senate hearing about the proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Bros., pressing Netflix representatives about the streaming platform's history of distributing controversial content, specifically citing the French film Cuties.

In February 2026, Moody met with farmers in Polk City, Florida, to discuss potential relief for agricultural operations affected by freezing temperatures and dry conditions.

2026 Special Election

Moody is running for the Republican Party nomination in the 2026 United States Senate special election in Florida to retain the seat to which she was appointed. In a January 2026 interview with WUSF, she discussed her legislative goals and her plans for the campaign.

Personal Life

Ashley Moody is married to Justin Duralia, a former agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The couple has two children. Her father, James S. Moody Jr., serves as a federal judge in the Middle District of Florida, and the family's legal background has been a recurring theme in coverage of her career.

Moody was registered as a Democrat from 1993 to 1998 before changing her party affiliation to the Republican Party, where she has remained since.

Recognition

During her time on the circuit court bench, Moody received recognition for her work as a judge and was noted as one of the youngest circuit court judges in Florida's history at the time of her election in 2006. Her election as Attorney General of Florida in 2018 made her one of the state's most prominent Republican officeholders, and her subsequent appointment to the U.S. Senate in 2025 elevated her profile to the national stage.

Her career trajectory — from circuit judge to attorney general to U.S. senator — has been covered extensively by Florida media outlets, including the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, Florida Politics, and Politico.