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Meredith Sasso
2023 - Present
2031
2
Meredith Sasso is a judge of the Florida Supreme Court. She assumed office on May 23, 2023. Her current term ends on January 7, 2031.
Sasso ran for re-election for judge of the Florida Supreme Court. She won in the retention election on November 5, 2024.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed Sasso via assisted appointment to replace Ricky Polston (nonpartisan) in May 2023.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Biography
Meredith Sasso was born in Tallahassee, Florida. Sasso graduated from Leon High School in 2001.[2] She earned bachelor's degrees and a juris doctor from the University of Florida in 2005 and 2008, respectively. Sasso's career experience includes working as the chief deputy general counsel of the Executive Office of the Governor under Rick Scott, a trial attorney with Sanabria, Llorente et. al., an associate with Hayes Law, P.L., an associate with Broussard & Cullen, P.A., and a law clerk.[2][3]
Appointments
2023
Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R) appointed Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court on May 23, 2023. Sasso succeeded Justice Ricky Polston, who retired on March 31, 2023. Polston's replacement was Governor DeSantis' (R) fifth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.[4]
At the time of the vacancy under Florida law, if a midterm vacancy occurs, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends three to six qualified candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year before running in a yes-no retention election.[5]
Elections
2024
See also: Florida Supreme Court elections, 2024
Florida Supreme Court, Meredith Sasso's seat
Meredith Sasso was retained to the Florida Supreme Court on November 5, 2024 with 62.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
62.3
|
5,829,960 | ||
No |
37.7
|
3,524,319 | |||
Total Votes |
9,354,279 | ||||
|
|
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Sasso in this election.
2020
Florida 5th District Court of Appeal
Meredith Sasso was retained to the Florida 5th District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 70.7% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
70.7
|
1,624,009 | ||
No |
29.3
|
672,875 | |||
Total Votes |
2,296,884 | ||||
|
|
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Meredith Sasso did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Meredith Sasso did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
State supreme court judicial selection in Florida
- See also: Judicial selection in Florida
The seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. A judicial nominating commission consisting of nine members who are appointed by the governor to four-year terms screens potential judicial candidates.[6] The commission submits a list of three to six nominees to the governor, and the governor must then appoint a judge from the list.[5]
Newly appointed judges serve for at least one year, after which they appear in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms.[5] Under the Florida constitution, a judge must retire at age 75; however, a judge who reaches 75 after serving at least half of his or her term may complete that term.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on the court, a judge must be:
- a qualified elector;
- a state resident;
- admitted to practice law in the state for 10 years before assuming the bench; and
- under the age of 75.
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is selected by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for two years.[5]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends three to six qualified candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year before running in a yes-no retention election.[5]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "DeSantis installs another conservative on Florida’s Supreme Court," accessed May 24, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Volusia Exposed, "Application For Nomination To The Fifth District Court - Meredith L. Sasso," accessed June 1, 2023
- ↑ Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal, "Judge Meredith L. Sasso," accessed June 1, 2023
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Ron DeSantis to get fifth Supreme Court pick as Rick Polston retires from Florida Supreme Court," March 20, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Florida; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article V, Section 8," accessed September 10, 2021
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida
State courts:
Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court
State resources:
Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida
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