ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The third time was a charm for West Palm Beach Judge Jorge Labarga.

Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday appointed the 56-year-old West Palm Beach attorney to the Florida Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Harry Lee Anstead.

"During his 13 years on the bench of the 15th Judicial Circuit, Judge Labarga presided over both criminal and civil cases and previously served as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney," Crist said. "His broad experience has led him to fully appreciate the need to thoroughly review the details of each case in an unbiased manner and a balanced application of the law."

It was Crist's third appointment to the state's high court since late August.

Just last month, Crist appointed the Cuban-born Labarga to an appellate court and asked the Judicial Nominating Commission for more names, drawing criticism from some JNC members who felt the governor was politicizing the process.

Labarga, who was among the nominees in both of Crist's earlier selections, earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida.

"Judge Labarga brings to Florida’s highest court all of the qualities needed in a justice, including integrity, fairness and compassion, as well as an added dimension of diversity," Crist said in a statement released Friday morning. "During his long career he has gained a great understanding of people from seeing firsthand the situations of those involved in the court system."