New Supreme Court Justices Hear First Cases

Since taking office on January 8, Governor DeSantis has filled three vacancies on the Florida Supreme Court. Longtime Justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince were required to step down after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. (A 2018 amendment to Florida's constitution raised the mandatory retirement age for justices to 75, effective July 1, 2019.)

Justices Barbara Lagoa, Robert Luck and Carlos Muñiz are the newly appointed members of the seven-member court. Lagoa, 51, served as a federal prosecutor before being appointed to the 3rd District Court of Appeal where she has served for more than 12 years, recently as chief judge of the Miami-based court. Luck, 39, is a former Miami federal prosecutor and circuit court judge who most recently served on the 3rd District Court of Appeal. Muñiz, 49, served as chief of staff to former Attorney General Pam Bondi, as a deputy general counsel to former Governor Jeb Bush and most recently as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education.

The Supreme Court with its new justices heard its first set of oral arguments on February 6, 2019. The new appointees are expected to lead to a more conservative court.