Governor DeSantis Fills First of Three Supreme Court Vacancies

In one of his first acts after taking office, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, January 9 made a historic appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, naming appellate Judge Barbara Lagoa as the high court's first Cuban-American female justice.
 
Lagoa, 51, grew up in Miami and attended New York's Columbia Law School, where she edited the prestigious law review. A onetime federal prosecutor in Florida's Southern District, Lagoa had experience in criminal and civil litigation before former Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to the 3rd District Court of Appeal in 2006, where she has served for more than 12 years. Recently, Lagoa has been chief judge of the appellate court, which hears cases from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
 
DeSantis' selection of Lagoa was the first of three Supreme Court appointments the new governor will make to replace retiring justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince.