DeSantis Cements Textualist Majority on Florida Supreme Court

The governor has consistently appointed justices with a proven record of interpreting Florida’s laws – not writing them.

JOSH MILLER - May 23, 2023

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Judge Meredith Sasso as the 93rd Justice to the Florida Supreme Court.

“I am proud to appoint Judge Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court because her fidelity to the Constitution will help preserve freedom in our state for generations to come,” said Governor DeSantis. “As a Cuban-American woman who understands the importance of our constitutional system and the rule of law, Judge Sasso will serve our state well.”

Judge Sasso – currently the Chief Judge of the Florida Sixth District Court of Appeals in Lakeland – will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Ricky Polston. Sasso is the fourth woman and, as a Cuban-American, the fourth Hispanic justice Governor DeSantis has appointed to the high court since taking office in 2019.

Upon Sasso’s Senate confirmation, three women will now sit on the Florida Supreme Court simultaneously for the first time in Florida’s history.

A textualist is a judge that relies solely on the literal or plain meaning of the text in the law and does not consider other sources, such as modern social policy or legislative history when interpreting a statute.

“The governor’s appointment of Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court cements this promise of appointing justices with a proven record of embracing textualism, and the notion that the courts should interpret our laws, not write them,” said William Large, president of the Florida Justice Reform Institute.

Judge Sasso was raised in Tallahassee, Florida, and is married with two children. She currently serves as an appointed member of the Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee. Sasso is also a member of the Federalist Society and the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network.

https://www.theflstandard.com/desantis-cements-textualist-majority-on-florida-supreme-court/