Supreme Court JNC sends six names to the governor
Five sitting judges and one lawyer have been nominated by the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission to fill an upcoming vacancy on Florida’s top court.
The JNC met earlier this month to review its interviews with 17 applicants and settled on the six finalists for the at-large seat, including 15th Circuit Judge Renatha Francis, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis selected to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in 2020 but was ruled ineligible because she had not been a member of The Florida Bar for 10 years, as required by the Constitution for justices and appellate judges.
The other nominees going to the governor include:
- Denise Harle, senior counsel and director of Center for Life, Alliance Defending Freedom.
- Judge Robert Long, Jr., of the First District Court of Appeal.
- Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe of the 13th Circuit.
- Judge Meredith Sasso of the Fifth DCA.
- Judge Adam Tanenbaum of the First DCA.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to the members of the Judicial Nominating Commission for recommending such an exemplary list of strong constitutionalist jurists and practitioners,” Gov. DeSantis said in a statement. “The JNC process is designed to select high-quality candidates for our courts. I would like to thank the commissioners for their hard work and diligence. They have left me with a difficult choice, but I look forward to appointing our next Supreme Court justice in the coming weeks.”
The successful nominee will replace Justice Alan Lawson who will retire effective August 31. The governor has 60 days to make the selection.
