The Florida Supreme Court blocked a woman nominated by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to sit on the state court after it found she was constitutionally ineligible to sit, according to The Hill.
The court invalidated the appointment Friday of Judge Renatha Francis because she had not been in the Florida Bar for 10 years, which is required to be eligible for the high court.
Francis was admitted to the barr Sept. 24, 2010, putting her a few months short of the requirement to be admitted to the Florida Supreme Court, according to state law.
Black lawmakers had pressed DeSantis to put a black person on the bench.
"The constitution's 10-year Bar membership requirement and sixty-day appointment deadline are bright-line textual mandates that impose rules rather than standards and prioritize certainty over discretion," the court ruled. "We hold that the constitution requires the Governor immediately to appoint and commission a constitutionally eligible nominee from among the seven remaining candidates already certified by the judicial nominating commission."
Democrat State Rep. Geraldine Thompson blocked the nomination after she found DeSantis overreached in his authority in appointing Francis.
"My motivation was to protect the independence, the autonomy and the confidence that people have in our judiciary," Thompson told The Associated Press. "I put my hand on the Bible and raised my hand to God and said I would protect and defend the constitution. I feel that I had a responsibility to do that."
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