close
close

Yiamastaverna

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • Florida Supreme Court Voting Guide: Renatha Francis, Meredith Sasso
    Utah

    Florida Supreme Court Voting Guide: Renatha Francis, Meredith Sasso

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    Come Election Day, Florida voters will see more than just Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on the ballot. In addition to six constitutional amendments, voters will also decide whether to retain two Florida Supreme Court justices.

    Justices Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso were appointed to the state Supreme Court in the past two years. Under state law, that means they must run in the general election, held more than a year after their appointment, to keep their seats.

    To date, no Florida judge has lost a re-election election. If they retain their seats, Francis and Sasso would each serve six-year terms.

    Here’s what you should know about both judges.

    Who is Florida Supreme Court Justice Renatha Francis?

    • Appointed by Governor Rick Scott to serve as District and District Court in the 11th Judicial District of Miami-Dade from 2017 to 2019
    • Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the 15th Judicial District in Palm Beach County
    • Appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by DeSantis in August 2022

    Before embarking on her second career as a lawyer, Francis ran a small business while studying full-time in Kingston, Jamaica, where she grew up. According to the Florida Supreme Court website, she graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law with a law degree in 2010 and worked as a law clerk at the First District Court of Appeals for more than six years.

    She then joined Shutts & Bowen, LLP, Of Counsel, in Miami-Dade, where she was a member of the Mass Litigation and Class Action Practice Group, representing large corporate clients.

    When will we see election results? On election day, polling stations close at 7 p.m. This is where Florida will see results

    Justice Francis is the first Jamaican-American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.

    Francis’ appointment to the Florida Supreme Court was notable because she was the only black justice and the only female justice, but it was not without controversy.

    Of the 32 applicants, seven were Black candidates, some with decades more experience than Francis. In the end, she was the only non-white candidate of the nine final candidates presented to the governor.

    In a lawsuit filed against Francis’ appointment, state Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, argued that she was unqualified to serve as a Supreme Court justice because Francis had not been a member of the Florida bar in 10 years, one of the only technical requirements for joining the court, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

    Others criticized the appointment, citing her academic and professional background. While other Florida Supreme Court justices had degrees from the University of Florida, Florida State and Yale, Francis received his degree from a for-profit Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville.

    In terms of experience, other Florida Supreme Court justices had decades of experience as lawyers and judges before their appointment. His professional background included working as a court clerk and human resources attorney. Previously, she spent approximately seven months at Shutts and Bowden, where she represented insurance companies in personal injury protection cases.

    The Tampa Bay Times points out that before becoming a Florida Supreme Court justice, Francis had never tried a case.

    Supporters of Francis, such as Don James, chairman of the Jamaican American Bar Association, dismissed criticism and said her rapid rise to the state’s most powerful court was thanks to her work ethic.

    Florida Supreme Court Justice Renatha Francis voting results

    Regarding abortion: Francis voted for the state in the April Planned Parenthood v. State case, in which a 6-1 decision upheld Florida’s 15-week abortion ban. At that point, Florida was already pushing for an even more limited six-week abortion ban, contingent on the outcome of the case. Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect on May 1.

    Regarding executive power: Twice since last year, Francis has joined the court majority in rejecting efforts by former prosecutors to challenge her suspension by DeSantis from positions voters elected her to. She has also advocated for limiting citizens’ ability to challenge gubernatorial actions in court, according to The Tributary.

    Regarding the legalization of weed: Francis and Sasso were the only dissenters to allow Amendment 3, which seeks to legalize recreational marijuana for adults, to the vote.

    Who is Florida Supreme Court Justice Meredith Sasso?

    • Joined the Office of the General Counsel in August 2016 to serve as Chief Deputy General Counsel to Rick Scott
    • Appointed by Scott to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Volusia County in January 2019
    • Appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by DeSantis in August 2022

    Judge Sasso grew up in Tallahassee. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the University of Florida in 2008, where she served on the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board, according to the Florida Supreme Court website.

    She began her career in private practice representing clients at trial and on appeal in the areas of major loss general liability, auto negligence and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts. She also served as a guardian ad litem, representing abused or neglected children.

    Do you still have to vote? Find out when Florida polls will open and close on Election Day

    Florida Supreme Court Justice Meredith Sasso’s vote

    Regarding abortion: Sasso joined the majority court in voting to uphold Florida’s 15-week abortion ban in Planned Parenthood v. State. In April, Sasso, Francis and another judge dissented from a court decision that allowed voters to decide in the general election whether to enshrine the right to abortion in the Florida Constitution

    Regarding the legalization of weed: Francis and Sasso were the only dissenters to allow Amendment 3, which seeks to legalize recreational marijuana for adults, to the vote.

    Regarding executive power: In June, Sasso agreed with other justices that a 2021 anti-rioter law cannot be used against peaceful protesters. She also shared a June statement upholding DeSantis’ suspension of Orlando-area District Attorney Monique Worrell.

    Florida Supreme Court Justices Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso are both members of the Federalist Society

    Like DeSantis, both Francis and Sasso are members of the Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian legal group that advocates for the original interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.

    The group’s founding principles are based on the idea that states exist to preserve freedom and that the separation of powers is a central part of the U.S. Constitution, its website says.

    Critics of the group say the group advocates legal advocacy, particularly on social issues such as abortion rights.

    How long do Florida Supreme Court justices serve?

    Under an amendment to the Florida Constitution approved by voters in the 1970s, Florida Supreme Court justices are initially appointed by the governor from a list of three to six names submitted by a Judicial Nominating Commission. The governor must select a new judge from the list.

    In the next general election, held more than a year after her appointment, the new justice will face Florida voters in a retention vote.

    If the new judge is not approved by voters, the governor would appoint a new judge.

    Contributors: Cheryl McCloud – USA Today Network Florida

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Caradoc Wyn
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads