Governor Ron DeSantis chose Justice Meredith L. Sasso to be on the Florida Supreme Court in May 2023. Since then, she has become an important figure in the state’s conservative legal community.
Judges are supposed to be fair, but her past jobs, connections, and court decisions show that she is always in line with Republican values and originalist interpretations of the Constitution.
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She is waiting for the results of her November 2024 merit retention vote, which will decide whether she stays on the bench for the next six years.
Key Takeaways
- Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2023, becoming his seventh appointee to the Florida Supreme Court.
- Background includes work under Republican Gov. Rick Scott and service on the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
- Holds membership in conservative groups like the Federalist Society and AEI’s Leadership Network.
- Judicial opinions show strong lean toward conservative values, especially on abortion and executive authority.
- Faces divided public opinion, with 70% of X users in a recent sample opposing her retention, mostly from progressive groups.
Political Background & Ties to Conservative Leadership
Sasso’s legal roots are closely tied to the Republican Party’s leadership in Florida. As Chief Deputy General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott, she gave advice to state agencies and helped check out judicial nominees.
Scott named her to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in 2019, and four years later, DeSantis named her to the Supreme Court. DeSantis praised her “fidelity to the Constitution” and said she was dedicated to protecting freedom.
Her family also shows that they are politically connected. Her husband, Michael Sasso, worked for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which was a DeSantis-backed effort to limit Disney’s power. He quit in May 2023, just hours before she was named to the Supreme Court.
He is also a member of the board of Valencia College and the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission. Critics say that these roles could lead to conflicts and partisan influence.
Conservative Affiliations
Justice Sasso is linked to two important conservative groups:
Society of Federalists : A powerful group of lawyers who support originalism and a small government. Sasso is a well-known member, along with other DeSantis appointees like Justices Renatha Francis and Jamie Grosshans.
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Leadership Network : AEI is a center-right think tank that backs conservative reforms and free-market economics. Her membership, which is listed in her official court biography, shows that she agrees with pro-business and small-government ideas.
Judicial Record and Political Views
Sasso has only been on the Florida Supreme Court for a short time, but she has already made decisions that are in line with conservative values:
Abortion
In April 2024, she disagreed with a 4–3 ruling that let a constitutional ballot initiative (Amendment 4) protect access to abortion until viability. She said the language was misleading and could lead to years of legal battles. She hasn’t challenged DeSantis’s six-week abortion ban, which is similar to her position.
Changes to the Constitution and Executive Power
Sasso has supported decisions that make it harder to change Florida’s constitution and has upheld limits on legal challenges to the governor’s authority. These actions strengthen Republican control over policy.
The Philosophy of Law
She bases her judicial reasoning on a strict interpretation of the Constitution, often using “rule of law” ideas and an originalist approach. Before she became a judge, she oversaw more than 25 trials and administrative cases, mostly defending the state when it was run by Republicans.
Public Sentiment & Online Reaction
Around the time of the 2024 retention vote, Justice Sasso’s name started to get a lot of attention online, especially on X.
Out of the more than 20 recent posts that were looked at, about 70% came from progressive voices urging a “No” vote. They were worried about her abortion dissent and ties to DeSantis.
Some liberal users call her a “DeSantis puppet,” while others link her legal philosophy to the GOP’s broader efforts to control social policy.
Conservative posts, on the other hand, praise her for being on lists of “respected originalists,” but direct endorsements are less common.
Most of the criticism that has gone viral links her decisions to the ongoing culture wars, especially those about reproductive rights.
There haven’t been any big problems with her in 2025, but people are still arguing about how she will affect Florida’s legal future.
Conclusion
Justice Meredith Sasso is a clear sign that Florida’s highest court is moving toward more conservative law. She is a good example of how the state’s courts are changing their ideological stance.
She is connected to DeSantis and the GOP leadership, and she has a record of being an originalist on important social issues.
Her impact on future legal battles, especially those over abortion and executive power, will continue to be a major topic of conversation in Florida politics, whether she stays or goes.
