Photo: CBS 12
A new member of the state's highest court gets sworn in on Thursday.
Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Renatha Francis was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis last month. She has also spent time on the Miami-Dade County and Circuit Courts.
Francis says she's "incredibly honored and humbled by this appointment to continue my service to the people of our great state of Florida."
Francis takes the seat vacated by Wednesday's retirement of Justice Alan Lawson, who was appointed in 2016 by then-Governor Rick Scott.
DeSantis says the Jamaican-born judge understands what the proper role of a judge is in America's constitutional system.
She will be the Supreme Court's first Caribbean-American justice, not from Cuba.
DeSantis attempted to place Francis on the high court two years ago, but the same court ruled that she didn't have the proper ten years minimum on the Florida Bar prior to the announcement.