Florida Supreme Court elections, 2024

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The terms of two Florida Supreme Court justices will expire on January 7, 2025. The two seats were up for retention election on November 5, 2024. The filing deadline was April 26, 2024.

Two of seven justices on the Florida Supreme Court are up for retention election— Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed both justices to the supreme court. 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.

As of May 2023, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor. No judge has lost a retention election in Florida.[1]


Candidates and results

Francis' seat

Florida Supreme Court

Renatha Francis was retained to the Florida Supreme Court on November 5, 2024 with 63.2% of the vote.

Retention
 Vote
%
Votes
Yes
 
63.2
 
5,960,814
No
 
36.8
 
3,478,211
Total Votes
9,439,025

Sasso's seat

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
 
5,822,995
No
 
37.7
 
3,518,990
Total Votes
9,341,985


Voting information

See also: Voting in Florida

Election information in Florida: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 7, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 7, 2024
  • Online: Oct. 7, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 24, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2024
  • Online: Oct. 24, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 26, 2024 to Nov. 2, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.


Noteworthy ballot measures

See also: Florida 2024 ballot measures

Two notable ballot measures were on the November 5, 2024, ballot in Florida. One would legalize marijuana possession under three ounces (Amendment 3), and the other would establish a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability (Amendment 4). A 60% supermajority vote is required for the approval of both amendments.

Observers and officials commented on whether the amendments would increase turnout statewide.

  • Wendy Sartory Link, the Supervisor of Elections for Palm Beach County, said: “A presidential election gets people excited and brings people out. But you might have folks who may not have cared as much or been as motivated to get out to vote for a president or all of the other races. Now, these amendments might just drive them out.”[2]
  • Brad Coker, the CEO of the Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy firm, said of Amendment 4: "It'll bring out younger voters of all kinds and more white, female voters, both groups which lean heavy Democratic... It’ll definitely help turn out voters in what for many was looking like a lackluster choice in the presidential race between Biden and Trump.”[3]
  • Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D) said: “With voters paying more attention to down-ballot races, I’m optimistic we can have a reverse coattails effect where we start to drive turnout and help improve the numbers at the presidential level.”[4]
  • Republican pollster Ryan Tyson disputed the idea that the amendments would increase turnout for Democrats, saying of Amendment 4: "Nobody is trying to say that abortion doesn’t animate their base to turn out — we’ve seen that everywhere... However, we haven’t seen them turn out voters that wouldn’t have already turned out, like in a presidential year."[5]
  • Sen. Marco Rubio (R) said of Amendment 4: “People are going to vote, they’re going to come out and vote and I don’t think [the abortion rights measure] is going to change any turnout patterns.”[6]

Amendment 3

See also: Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2024)

A "yes" vote supported legalizing marijuana for adults 21 years old and older and allowing individuals to possess up to three ounces of marijuana.

A "no" vote opposed legalizing marijuana for adult use in Florida.

To read more about supporters and opponents of Amendment 3, along with their arguments, click on the box below.

Amendment 4

See also: Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative (2024)

A "yes" vote supported adding the following language to the Florida Constitution’s Declaration of Rights: “… no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” Amendment 4 maintained the existing constitutional provision that permitted a law requiring parents to be notified before a minor can receive an abortion.

A "no" vote opposed amending the Florida Constitution's Declaration of Rights to provide that the state cannot "... prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider."


To read more about supporters and opponents of Amendment 4, along with their arguments, click on the box below.

About the Florida Supreme Court

See also: Florida Supreme Court

There are seven justices on the Florida Supreme Court. Justices are selected using the assisted appointment method, where the Governor of Florida chooses from a list of three to six candidates recommended by a commission on judicial appointments. Justices serve six-year terms. The appointment of a justice must be confirmed by a retention vote in the next general election at least one year after taking office.[9]

Political composition

This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2024 election. Justices on the Florida Supreme Court are appointed to their seats.

Charles Canady Appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in 2008; retained in 2010, 2016, and 2022
Jorge Labarga Appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in 2009; retained in 2010, 2016, and 2022
John D. Couriel Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2020; retained in 2022
Renatha Francis Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2022
Jamie Rutland Grosshans Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2020; retained in 2022
Carlos Muñiz Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2019; retained in 2020
Meredith Sasso Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2023

Selection

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.[10] The commission submits a list of three to six nominees to the governor, and the governor must then appoint a judge from the list.[11]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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.


See also

Florida Judicial Selection More Courts
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External links

Footnotes