TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline)-Ricky Polston, a Florida appeals court judge, was appointed Wednesday to the state Supreme Court.

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Polston, 52, who will replace Justice Kenneth Bell, who has resigned from the bench to return to private legal practice.

"I have taken care in appointing Judge Polston because I know this selection will affect generations of Floridians," Crist said in a statement. "I am confident Judge Polston will rule from our state's highest bench with restraint, fairness and humility. He has shown throughout his personal and professional life the kind of compassion that is so important to our justice system."

A registered Republican, Polston has been on the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee since 2001. He graduated Florida State University law school in 1986.

Polston said at a press conference Wednesday that he "would not want to legislate from the bench."

Crist will be able to make two more Supreme Court picks early next year.

Polston is Crist's second appointment to the high court. The Republican governor last month appointed Charles Canady to the Supreme Court to replace the vacancy left by Justice Raoul Cantero, who also stepped down to return to private practice.

The Florida Supreme Court Nominating Commission has reviewed applications and submitted three names for each vacancy to Crist, who gets to choose among the nominees.

From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.