Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady, 71, will step down at the end of 2025 to take on a new role as a professor at the University of Florida. He will teach at UF’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. Canady announced his departure in November, and it will take effect Thursday.
“It has been my great privilege to serve the people of Florida as a justice of the Supreme Court for the last 17 years,” Canady said in a prepared statement. “I will always deeply value my years on the Court. But the time has come to move on to another position of public service.”
Appointed in 2008, Canady is the longest-serving current member of the Florida Supreme Court. Along with Jorge Labarga, he is one of two justices not appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. If DeSantis successfully names a successor, his appointees will hold all but one seat on the court.
Interim University of Florida President Dr. Donald Landry praised Canady’s appointment to the faculty. “Justice Canady’s vast experience and thoughtful jurisprudence make him an exceptional selection for this position,” Landry said. “I have the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the Hamilton School.”
“I’m very grateful to UF Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini and Interim President Don Landry for this opportunity,” Canady said. “I am eager to begin my work with the outstanding students and faculty at the Hamilton School.”
Path to the Florida Supreme Court
Canady’s judicial career began in November 2002, when Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him to the Second District Court of Appeal. Voters overwhelmingly retained him in 2004. In August 2008, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed him to the Florida Supreme Court to replace Raoul Cantero.
Since his appointment, voters have retained Canady three times for additional six-year terms. In Florida Supreme Court elections, justices face retention votes rather than challengers. Canady won retention with 67.5% of the vote in 2010, 68.0% in 2016, and 64.0% in 2022.
Canady was reportedly considered in 2016 for a U.S. Supreme Court appointment by then President-elect Donald Trump following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump ultimately nominated Neil Gorsuch after the U.S. Senate declined to consider a nominee from outgoing President Barack Obama.
Political Career and Court Tenure
Before joining the Florida Supreme Court, Canady served six years in the Florida House of Representatives. He ran unsuccessfully for the Florida Senate in 1990 and later served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives. A Republican, he gained national attention as an impeachment manager during the 1999 proceedings against President Bill Clinton.
One of the most significant issues Canady addressed on the Florida Supreme Court involved the death penalty. In 2020, he joined a majority ruling that courts should not consider proportionality when imposing death sentences. The decision upheld the sentence of a man with mental health issues convicted of a 1998 murder, concluding that the Florida Constitution does not require comparisons to sentences in similar cases.
This article has been carefully fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and eliminate any misleading information. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our content.
Leave a Reply