Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso. To keep or not? What you need to know

If early voting and voting by mail will continue in Florida, more and more voters are researching some of the candidates on the ballot.

These candidates include two Florida Supreme Court justices: Renata Franciscus And Meredith Sasso.

Every voter in the state is being asked whether the two should remain on the state’s highest court. It’s a yes or no question, where a yes vote keeps them on the bench and a no vote removes them.

What you need to know about the Florida Supreme Court

Florida Supreme Court: Highest court in Florida
Members: There are seven judges
How many are needed to make a decision? At least five must participate in each case; at least four must agree before a decision can be made
How long do they serve? Six years
How are they named?? Appointed to the court by the governor from a list of three to six names submitted by a judicial nominating commission.
When will they go to the vote? In the next general election, which will take place more than a year after their appointment, the new judge will lead Florida voters in a merit-retention vote.
How much are they paid? $258,957 per year, according to Ballotpedia.

Who is Judge Meredith Sasso?

Highlights:

Received a law degree from the University of Florida in 2008
Appointed to Fifth District Court in January 2019 by Governor Rick Scott
Reinstated on January 1, 2023 at the newly created Sixth Court of Appeals by Governor Ron DeSantis
Appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by DeSantis on May 23, 2023

According to the Florida Supreme Court websiteSasso 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 started her career in private practicerepresenting clients in major loss general liability, auto negligence, and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts at trial and on appeal. She also served as a guardian ad litem and represented abused or neglected children.

In August 2016, Sasso joined Governor Rick Scott’s Office of the General Counsel, where she served as Chief Deputy General Counsel. In this role, she represented the Governor in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal and the State Council. and federal courts, among other duties.

‘She’s a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and the Federalist society.”

Voting record of Florida Supreme Court Justice Meredith Sasso

Regarding abortion: Sasso joined the majority court in voting to uphold Florida’s fifteen-week abortion ban in Planned Parenthood v. State. In April, Sasso, Renatha Francis and another judge disagreed with a court decision that let voters in the general election decide whether to enshrine abortion rights in the Florida Constitution.
As for legalizing weed: Francis and Sasso were the only dissenters to allow Amendment 3 on the ballot, which aims to legalize recreational marijuana for adults.
As for the executive branch: In June, Sasso agreed with other judges that a law would be introduced in 2021 to crack down on rioters cannot be used against peaceful protesters. She also shared an opinion from June that was confirmed DeSantis’ suspension of Orlando-area State’s Attorney Monique Worrell.

Who is Judge Renatha Francis?

Highlights:

Appointed by Governor Rick Scott to circuit and district courts in Miami-Dade’s 11th Judicial Circuit from 2017-19
Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County
Appointed by DeSantis to the Florida Supreme Court in August 2022

According to the Florida Supreme Court websiteFrancis grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, where she managed small businesses while she was a full-time student. She attended the University of the West Indies, majoring in political science and international relations. Her second career as a lawyer came after graduating from law school in Jacksonville. Her Florida Bar page shows she graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2010.

She clerked for the First District Court of Appeal for 6.5 years before joining Shutts & Bowen, LLP, Of Counsel, in Miami-Dade, where she was a member of the Mass Litigation and Class Action Practice Group, which represents major represented clients.

“During her tenure, Judge Francis has presided over major dockets, tried numerous cases, and resolved hundreds of cases in family, civil, probate and criminal law,” according to the Florida Supreme Court website.

DeSantis originally picked Francis to fill another Supreme Court opening in 2020, but the court rejected his choice because at the time she didn’t have 10 years of experience as a lawyer, a requirement for the job.

“Francis said that one of the important problems facing the judiciary today is the crisis of confidence in the legal system due to a lack of public knowledge of the role of the judiciary.’ That lack of trust is an “opportunity to explain the structure of our government, why it matters, the role of the courts, and just really educate.” the public,” Francis said, according to the Florida Supreme Court website.

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

Voting record of Judge Renatha Francis on the Florida Supreme Court

Regarding abortion: Francis voted in favor of the state in April’s Planned Parenthood v. State case, in which a 6-1 decision upheld Florida’s 15-week abortion ban. At the time, Florida was already pushing for an even more limited abortion ban of six weeks, depending on how the case would proceed. Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect on May 1.
As for the executive branch: Twice since last year, Francis joined the court’s majority rejecting attempts by former state attorneys Unpleasant disputes their suspension by DeSantis from their offices the voters chose them to hold. According to The Tributary, she has also advocated limiting citizens’ ability to challenge governor’s actions in court.
As for legalizing weed: Francis and Sasso were the only dissenters to allow Amendment 3 on the ballot, which aims to legalize recreational marijuana for adults.

How to see how Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso voted on other issues

To see how Francis and Sasso voted for cases go to the Page with opinions on the Florida Supreme Court website.

You can also watch and watch the oral arguments live archives of previous cases online and on Facebook.

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies describes itself as a “group of conservatives and libertarians committed to reforming the current legal order.

“It is based on the principles that the state exists to preserve liberty, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is the express power and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is , and not what she should do. be strives to both promote awareness of these principles and promote their application through its activities.