Q&A of the Day – How to Vote on Retention Votes & Judicial Elections
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
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Today’s Entry: Today’s Q&A features two related notes:
1) Thank You for your thoughtful review of the proposed amendments…. Best full analysis available as always!!! Just a question — do you have any similar analysis on the judges records, etc. for the Palm Beach County judge elections?
If not, where would be the best place to start? Thank You ahead of time for your thoughts… Keep Up the Great Work!
2) During one of the last few election cycles, I asked you about how to find the political leanings of judges so I could better decide whether they should be retained or replaced. Although, not definitive, the information you provided was extremely helpful. Of course, I have misplaced that information. Could you please review it again?
Bottom Line: Ask and you shall receive... Judicial votes/races are always among the top inquiries I receive around election cycles and this cycle is no different. On ballots this cycle we have three types of judicial votes. There are retention votes for state supreme court justices. Retention votes for district court judges and a county court election for judge taking place in Palm Beach County. First, before diving into each of the elections here’s the process I use to evaluate judicial candidates which often can be among the most difficult to vet...
With judges/justices up for retention I recommend you start by seeing if there’s anything specific to them that you’re familiar with that you may have strong feelings about. IE: Court rulings. Next, search for information about them online. This often includes background data such as the political party they may be registered to, associations and background information. With that in mind let’s start with Florida’s two Supreme Court Justices up for retention votes:
Florida Supreme Court Justice
- Renatha Francis: Justice Francis is the first Jamaican born justice in Florida’s history. She was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis in August of 2022 to replace retiring Justice Alan Lawson. Prior to serving as a Supreme Court Justice, she served as Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, in an appointment also made by Governor DeSantis. Prior to the DeSantis administration, she’d twice served in judicial roles via appointments by then Governor Rick Scott. She’s a member of the Federalist Society.
- Meredith Sasso: Justice Sasso is a Florida native who was born and raised in Tallahassee. She was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis in May of 2023 to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice Ricky Polston. Prior to her appointment on Florida’s supreme court, she served as the Chief Judge of the Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal, a post she was also appointed to by Governor DeSantis. Sasso previously served as the chief deputy general counsel for then Governor Rick Scott. She’s a member of the Federalist Society.
Next up we have retention votes for the 4th District Court of Appeal...
District Court of Appeal, District 4
- Burton C. Conner: Judge Conner is a Florida native who was born and raised in Sarasota. He has served in numerous roles within the state since 1978 and has served in his current capacity since his appointment by then Governor Rick Scott in 2011. He was retained by voters with 75% of the vote in 2018 and is a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy. He’s also active with many charitable organizations in St. Lucie and Okeechobee Counties.
- Jeffrey T. Kuntz: Judge Kuntz is a Florida native who was born in Winter Park and who is currently a resident of West Palm Beach. He was appointed to his current post by then Governor Rick Scott in November of 2016 and was retained by voters in 2018 with 74% of the vote. A member of the Federalist Society, Judge Kuntz is active with numerous charities and non-profit organizations throughout the Palm Beaches.
The final vote involves the candidates for Palm Beach County’s Group 2 judicial election.
County Court Judge, Group 2
- Lourdes Casanova: Lourdes is a Florida native who was raised in Palm Beach County and currently resides in Lake Worth. She’s a private practice criminal defense attorney and founder of Casanova Law PA. She’s been named as a top trial attorney under 40 nationally. She is active with numerous charities and nonprofit organizations throughout the Palm Beaches and the state of Florida.
- Jean Marie Middleton: Jean is a California native who has resided in South Florida since 1994. She currently serves as Assistant General Counsel for the Palm Beach School District, a position she has held since 2013. She has also served locally as a Supervising Attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County and as Assistant City Attorney for Lake Worth. She is active with numerous local charitable organizations and nonprofits. She is also the President-Elect of the Palm Beach County Bar Association.
As a standard practice I don’t issue endorsements with candidates, only on issues, so hopefully this breakdown of these candidates is helpful for helping inform your votes.