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He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida where he was a member of the Sigma Iota Epsilon business fraternity. He later went on to study law on a full scholarship at the Florida State University College of Law where he earned his juris doctor degree in 2004.
Previously, James worked with the Innocence Project of Florida to help innocent prisoners in Florida obtain their freedom through the use of DNA testing and to help rebuild their lives once released. One such case was that of Wilton Dedge, who after serving 22 years of a life sentence, was the first man in Florida exonerated through DNA evidence. Following that, James worked with former American Bar Association President and Former President of Florida State University, Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, to help lobby the Florida legislature in 2005 on a claims bill that eventually awarded Mr. Dedge a total of $2.2 million, the largest settlement regarding a wrongful conviction in Florida history. The story of Wilton Dedge was featured in the documentary "After Innocence" that was shown at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
James is active in both local and state politics. He was recently elected as state committeeman for the Escambia County Democratic Executive Committee (Escambia DEC) for 2008-2012. As a state committeeman, James sits on the State Executive Committee of the Florida Democratic Party. At the state party's organizational meeting on December 20, 2008, he was elected as Chairman of the First Congressional District Committee covering Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Washington and Holmes counties. In that role, he will sit on the Central Committee, the governing body of the state Democratic party.