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    • What you should know about the Florida Supreme Court judiciary
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    What you should know about the Florida Supreme Court judiciary

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    This weekend, the early voting period in the November election is coming to an end as voters try to do last-minute research on some of the candidates on the ballot.

    Among those nominees are two Florida Supreme Court justices: Meredith Sasso and Renatha Francis.

    Every voter in the state will be asked whether the two should remain on the state’s highest court. It is a yes or no question. If they vote yes, they will remain on the bench; if they vote no, they will be removed.

    Here’s what you should know about Sasso.

    What you should know about the Florida Supreme Court

    • Florida Supreme Court: Supreme Court in Florida
    • members: There are seven judges
    • How many are needed to make a decision? In any case, at least five people must take part; For a decision to be made, at least four must agree
    • How long do they serve? Six years
    • How are they appointed?? Appointed to the Court by the Governor from a list of three to six names submitted by a Judicial Nominating Commission.
    • When are they going to vote? In the next general election, held more than a year after her appointment, the new justice will face Florida voters in a retention vote.
    • How much are they paid? $258,957 per year, according to Ballotpedia.

    According to the Florida Supreme Court website, Sasso, 41, 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.

    “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.”

    “In August 2016, Sasso joined Governor Rick Scott’s Office of General Counsel, serving as Chief Deputy General Counsel. In this role, she represented the governor in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeals, and the state and federal courts, among others.

    “She is a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and the Federalist Society.”

    Who appointed Meredith Sasso to the Supreme Court?

    Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Sasso to the Supreme Court in May 2023, making her one of five justices on the seven-member court selected by the current governor.

    Sasso was previously appointed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals by former Governor Rick Scott in January 2019 and was reappointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by DeSantis on January 1, 2023.

    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, Renatha Francis and another judge dissented from a court decision that would allow voters in the general election to decide 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.

    Here’s how Meredith Sasso voted in other cases

    To see how Sasso voted on cases, visit the Opinions page on the Florida Supreme Court website.

    You can also watch court hearings live and view archives of past cases online and on Facebook.

    When does early voting end in Florida?

    You can vote early – now! But not for long.

    Any election that includes a state or federal race must offer early voting, which must occur at least from the 10th day before the election to the third day before the election. Each county election official may choose to offer more days of early voting, which may begin up to five days earlier or last one day longer.

    In most counties, Saturday, November 2nd is the last day for early voting. The list of dates and times by county can be found here Here.

    When does early voting begin? Final deadlines to watch before the 2024 Florida general election

    Early voting has already begun! There are only two important dates left to remember this election season:

    • Saturday November 2nd: Early voting ends nationwide; However, some counties are offering an additional day on November 3rd.
    • Tuesday, November 5th: Election day. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in your time zone. All voters still in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast their vote, no matter how long it takes
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    Eira Gwyneth
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