Congratulations to Miami attorney and Cuban American John Couriel on his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Ron DeSantis. The governor also appointed Palm Beach judge and Jamaican American Renatha Francis to the state’s highest court.
Gov. DeSantis taps John Couriel, Renatha Francis to Florida Supreme Court
After delaying his decision for months in the face of the coronavirus crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis has selected two new picks to fill Florida Supreme Court vacancies.
John Couriel, an attorney with the Miami-based firm Kobre & Kim, and Renatha Francis, a judge on the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, will round out the seven seats on the bench. The Governor chose the two from a pool of nine nominees selected by the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC).
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Couriel — who received recommendations from Arkansas U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and former Gov. Jeb Bush — also hit on his Caribbean roots and voiced his appreciation for the justice, freedom and life the United States and Florida provided for his family.
“There is no better way to be grateful for something than to share it, and so today in committing myself to this work, I also give thanks to the people I am blessed to serve, with whom I am honored to share my best efforts,” he said.
Couriel is a Harvard college and law school graduate and was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida before taking up his private practice.
“He is giving up a lot of money to be able to serve, and I think that that says a lot about John, about his character and about how important the rule of law is that he’d be willing to do it,” the Governor said.
DeSantis traced Couriel’s legal understanding to his parents’ background. Both escaped the Fidel Castro regime in 1961, which the Governor said helped emphasize the importance of the rule of law in the new appointee.
“He distinctly understands the proper role of the judiciary, he understands the structural limitations in the Constitution, all those things that you would want, but I think because he’s had such extensive business experience, he’s bringing a perspective on the court that may not be there in abundance right now,” he said.
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