TALLAHASSEE -- The fourth African-American to ever sit on the Florida Supreme Court formally took his seat Friday in a ceremony that helped cement Gov. Charlie Crist's reputation as a centrist.

Justice James E.C. Perry is the fourth appointee to the high court by Crist, making the Republican governor responsible for selecting a majority of the seven-member court.

But that doesn't mean they'll vote together as a block.

On Thursday, the two clearly conservative Crist appointees, justices Charles Canady and Ricky Polston, cast the lone dissents in a case concerning Florida's ban on gay couples adopting children.

Perry and Justice Jorge Labarga -- a Crist pick who's the second Hispanic to serve on the court -- joined the majority in ruling that the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar could file a friend of the court brief in the case.

Though the justices didn't rule on the gay adoption ban itself, some conservatives fretted that Thursday's ruling indictated Crist didn't appoint enough solid conservatives when he had the chance.

''I have no litmus test for any of the appointees to the Supreme Court,'' Crist responded. ``My concern is that they have great intellect, that they have great integrity, that they have a good heart and that they will dispatch justice for all Floridians in an equal and fair fashion.''

At 65 years old, Perry is one of the oldest members appointed to the court. Crist said he chose Perry because he had a ''connection'' with the Seminole County judge who embodies the word ``justice.''

Perry grew up in a segregated North Carolina town, decided to become an attorney on the night Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered and was among a group of black lawyers to successfully challenge Georgia's ban on African American lawyers.

Barring any unexpected resignations, Crist won't get the chance to choose more justices, at least in Florida. He's running for U.S. Senate, and polls show the popular governor might not have too much trouble winning the office. In Washington, he'll get to vote on U.S. Supreme Court nominees.

Crist didn't want to spend too much time Friday commenting on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's comments about whether a female Latina would make better decisions than a white male.

''She could have chosen her words more carefully, probably wishes that she had,'' Crist said. ``And I'll leave it at that.''

Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

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