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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

    Caradoc Wyn 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: Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso.

    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 Francis.

    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 for 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, Francis, 46, grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, where she ran small businesses while studying full-time. She attended the University of the West Indies, majoring in political science and international relations. Her second career as a lawyer began after graduating from law school in Jacksonville. Her Florida legal page shows that she graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2010.

    Litigation and class actions practice group representing large corporate clients.

    “During her tenure as a judge, Judge Francis presided over large dockets, conducted numerous trials and resolved hundreds of cases in family, civil, probate and criminal law,” the Florida Supreme Court website states.

    “Francis expressed that one of the biggest problems facing the judiciary today is the crisis of confidence in the justice system, which arises from a lack of public knowledge about the role of the judiciary.” This lack of trust is an “opportunity “explaining the structure of our government, why it is important, the role of the courts and just educating the public,” Francis said, according to the Florida Supreme Court website.

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

    Who appointed Renatha Francis to the Supreme Court?

    Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Francis to the Florida Supreme Court in August 2022.

    DeSantis had originally selected Francis to fill another Supreme Court vacancy in 2020, but the court rejected his choice because she did not have 10 years of experience as a lawyer at the time, a requirement for the job.

    Previously, she was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to serve as the district and circuit court institution in Miami-Dade’s 11th Judicial District from 2017 to 2019. DeSantis later appointed her to the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County.

    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.

    Here’s how Renatha Francis voted in other cases

    To see how Francis 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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    Caradoc Wyn
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