DeSantis vows better justice appointees than Trump, ‘gold standard’ of Thomas and Alito
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis, continuing his 2024 presidential campaign differentiating himself from former President Donald Trump, vowed to “do better” on federal judicial appointees.
When asked if he will make a “pledge” to Republican voters that he will make his judges like “Trump judges,” DeSantis said his appointees would more closely resemble the ideologies of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Well, actually, I would say we’ll do better than that,” the governor said. “I mean, I respect the three appointees he did, but none of those three are at the same level of justices, Thomas and Justice Alito.”
“I think they are the gold standard,” he continued. “And so, my justices will be along the lines of a Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas.”
WATCH: Asked if his judges will be like the "Trump judges," DeSantis says none of the former president's are at the "same level" as Justices Thomas and Alito
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) June 12, 2023
"I would say we'll do better than that […] My justices will be along the lines of Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas." pic.twitter.com/TnAjaNFMty
DeSantis went on to brag of having the “most conservative” state supreme court in the U.S., noting he made several appointment since becoming governor in early 2019.
Florida’s supreme court has five DeSantis appointees, all of which lean “conservative”: Carlos Muñiz, John Daniel Couriel, Jamie Rutland Grosshans, Renatha Francis and Meredith Sasso.
The other two justices – Charles Canady and Jorge Labarga – were appointed by then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.
“And in fact, two of my supreme court picks when my first year in office were elevated to the 11th circuit by President Donald Trump,” DeSantis added.
Trump appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, all of which were perceived to be conservative-leaning: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
All of them voted in favor of the landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
