\nTALLAHASSEE \u2014 The longest-serving current member of the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Charles Canady, is leaving the bench to join the University of Florida as director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education.<\/p>\n
Canady \u2014 whose wife, state Rep. Jennifer Canady, is in line to become state House speaker in 2028 \u2014 announced his departure Monday, calling it a \u201cgreat privilege to serve the people of Florida as a justice\u201d for the past 17 years.
\n\u201cI will always deeply value my years on the court. But the time has come to move on to another position of public service,\u201d Canady, 71, said in the statement, adding that he will begin as director and a tenured professor at the Hamilton School in 2026.<\/p>\n
Canady\u2019s departure will give Gov. Ron DeSantis \u2014 who has appointed five of the seven current justices \u2014 an opportunity to name a replacement. Canady was appointed in August 2008 by then-Gov. Charlie Crist, who months later appointed Justice Jorge Labarga.<\/p>\n
Canady, who served as chief justice three times, is a Lakeland native and former lawmaker. Canady served in the state House from 1984 until 1990 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. He served four terms in Congress before deciding not to seek reelection in 2000, after promising not to serve more than eight years.
\nHe returned to Florida and joined former Gov. Jeb Bush\u2019s administration as general counsel. Bush appointed Canady to the 2nd District Court of Appeal, where he worked until Crist tapped him for the Supreme Court. Crist at the time was a Republican but later became a Democrat.<\/p>\n
For years, Canady and other conservatives frequently dissented on what was a liberal-leaning court. But that changed with DeSantis\u2019 conservative remake of the court that started in 2019, after the mandatory retirements of former Justices Barbara Pariente, Peggy Quince and R. Fred Lewis.
\nAs a lawmaker, Canady earned a reputation as a conservative, including as an outspoken opponent of abortion. Canady is even credited with coining the politically charged term \u201cpartial birth abortion\u201d and writing the original legislation that attempted to ban the practice while he was in Congress.
\nCanady also was a key player in one of the most partisan moments in modern American history, helping prosecute former President Bill Clinton during the president\u2019s 1999 impeachment trial.<\/p>\n
Canady\u2019s wife, Jennifer, was elected to the state House in 2022 and is on track to become speaker after the 2028 elections.
\nCharles Canady was born into a politically connected Polk County family \u2014 his father, Charles E. Canady, was a longtime aide to the late Sen. and Gov. Lawton Chiles. Canady\u2019s appointment to the Hamilton School will fulfill an old flirtation of pursuing a career in academia, which he abandoned after attending law school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had an interest in political science and I thought about pursuing an academic career in that arena, but I didn\u2019t quite have the passion for that that I thought would be necessary to do that. The law seemed to be always what I came back to,\u201d Canady told The News Service of Florida in a 2010 interview in advance of his first stint as chief justice. \u201cAnd I\u2019m very glad that I did. I have never one day in my life as a lawyer regretted my decision to become a lawyer.\u201d
\nAt the time, Canady said his political past had not shaped his outlook as a judge but might have given him a particularly strong appreciation for the separation of powers.
\n\u201cMy approach to deciding cases is I look at the law, I look at the facts and I do my best to apply the law to the facts and make a decision based on the law and the facts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Canady will be able to flex his conservative credentials at the Hamilton School, which is part of Republican state leaders\u2019 efforts to replace such things as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts with more traditional instruction.
\nThe school is \u201cleading a higher education revolution,\u201d according to its website.
\n\u201cNow more than ever, the world needs critical thinkers filled with fresh ideas and the courage to ask bigger questions. At the Hamilton School, we prepare you to think deeply, explore widely, speak with conviction, and lead with purpose,\u201d the website says. \u201cOur world-class researchers, who are just as passionate about mentoring students, teach the ideas and habits of thought that founded our country and sustain our free society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Justice Charles Canady\u2019s resignation from the Florida Supreme Court to join the University of Florida as director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education marks a significant shift in his career, from a life of law and public service to one focused on education and academia. His legacy on the court and his future role at the Hamilton School will undoubtedly continue to shape the legal and educational landscapes in Florida.<\/p>\n
A: Justice Charles Canady is leaving the Florida Supreme Court to join the University of Florida as director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education.<\/p>\n
A: Gov. Ron DeSantis will have the opportunity to appoint a replacement for Justice Canady.<\/p>\n
A: The Hamilton School is part of the University of Florida, focused on classical and civic education, aiming to prepare students to think critically and lead with purpose.<\/p>\n
A: Justice Canady is a former lawmaker, having served in the state House and the U.S. House of Representatives, and has a strong conservative record, particularly on issues like abortion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Florida Supreme Court Justice Resigns to Join University of Florida Introduction to the Resignation TALLAHASSEE \u2014 The longest-serving current member of the Florida Supreme Court, Justice Charles Canady, is leaving the bench to join the University of Florida as director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. Background on Justice Canady Canady \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-22579","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TFL-Z-CHARLES-CANADY-THUMB.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=800&resize=800,636&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22582,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22579\/revisions\/22582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}