TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis named his fifth appointment to the current state Supreme Court on Tuesday, elevating Meredith Sasso from chief judge of the Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal.
On the seven-member court, Sasso becomes the fourth woman and the fourth Hispanic justice DeSantis has appointed to the high court since taking office in 2019. In all, DeSantis has made seven appointments to the high court.
It will be the first time three women will be sitting on the Florida Supreme Court simultaneously.
"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," DeSantis said in a news release. "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."
In 2019, DeSantis replaced three liberal-leaning justices with conservatives.
Sasso, 40, is replacing Justice Ricky Polston, who resigned from his position earlier this year and was hired as the new general counsel for Citizens Property Insurance.
"I am incredibly honored that Gov. Ron DeSantis is entrusting me with this position," Sasso said. "The judiciary plays a critical and unique role in our constitutional government, and I am resolutely committed to upholding the rule of law for as long as I am privileged to serve."
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Sasso received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the same school in 2008.
Sasso began her career in private practice, representing clients in large loss general liability, auto negligence, and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts at trial and on appeal.
She also served as a guardian ad litem, representing abused or neglected children.
Before serving on the court, Sasso was chief deputy general counsel for Gov. Rick Scott.
In January 2019, she was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in northeast Florida and recommissioned to the Sixth District Court of Appeal in western Florida on Jan. 1 by DeSantis.
Sasso was raised in Tallahassee and is married with two children.
She is a member of the conservative Federalist Society.
Sasso will join Chief Justice Carlos Muniz and Justices John Couriel, Jamie Grosshans and Renatha Francis as DeSantis appointees. Justices Charles Canady and Jorge Labarga were appointed by then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.