TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Palm Beach County circuit judge is once again being considered to serve on Florida's highest court — two years after Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to appoint her in 2020.
The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission announced Monday they have nominated Renatha Francis and five other applicants for the governor's consideration.
The nominees were chosen to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Lakeland native Justice Alan Lawson. Lawson has served as a justice on Florida's Supreme Court since 2016.
A total of 17 people applied to fill the at-large vacancy on the court.
Francis made headlines in May 2020 when DeSantis appointed Francis to serve on the state's supreme court.
However, just three months later, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the governor exceeded his authoritybecause he appointed Francis before she was eligible.
In a 5-0 ruling, the court said the Republican governor's appointment of Francis was invalid because she had not been a member of the Florida Bar for 10 years, as required by the state Constitution.
Francis was four months shy of meeting that requirement when DeSantis appointed her in May 2020. She was admitted to the Florida Bar on Sept. 24, 2010.
The governor later appointed Orange County Judge Jamie Grosshans on Sept. 14, 2020, to replace Francis.
Besides Francis, below is the list of other applicants named Monday by the commission:
- Denise Harle
- Robert Long
- Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe
- Meredith Sasso
- Adam Tanenbaum
Francis, born in Jamaica, would be the first Caribbean-American to sit on the Florida Supreme Court. She moved to Florida after running two businesses in Jamaica.
If DeSantis appoints her, Francis would become the only Black justice currently serving on the court and just the second female alongside Grosshans.
Francis would be the second Black woman to ever serve on Florida's Supreme Court and just the sixth woman in the court's 175 years of existence.
Lawson, an appointee of Gov. Rick Scott, announced his retirement last month. He is set to leave the bench Aug. 31.
