Florida's abortion vote: 3 justices tried to block it. 2 will be on your ballot this fall [View all]

[In It to Win It]

Orlando Sentinel - Gift Link

While the majority of justices on Florida’s very conservative Supreme Court ruled that citizens clearly have a right to vote on this issue, three tried to deny you that right. The decision was a 4-3 split.

The three justices who tried to block the vote are all new and relatively inexperienced. And interestingly, two of them will have their own names on the ballot this fall — and need your permission to keep their seats.

That’s because Florida has something called “merit retention” for judges. It’s Florida’s version of checks and balances. Governors appoint Supreme Court justices. But Floridians get to decide whether those judges keep their seats in the first election cycle after they’re appointed.

That means the fate of the two newest justices, Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso, will be decided this fall. Both have been on the bench less than two years. Both tried to block the abortion vote, as well as the statewide vote recreational marijuana. And both have careers marked by controversy.

Francis’ appointment was the most controversial — so much so that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ own Supreme Court justices refused to approve her as a justice the first time he tried.

The reason they rejected Francis was simple. She was unqualified. I don’t mean that she was unqualified in my opinion. I mean that she literally did not have the minimum 10 years legal experience required by the Florida Constitution to serve on the state’s highest court.



Florida Supreme Court Justices Renatha Francis, left, Meredith L. Sasso, were on the losing side of an abortion ruling this week. Both will also be asking Florida voters to let them keep their seats this fall.