TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady will leave the state’s high court in 2026.
Canady, who was appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008, announced on Monday that he was leaving to become director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida.
“I will always deeply value my years on the Court. But the time has come to move on to another position of public service,” Canady wrote in his announcement.
In the letter, Canady also thanks UF Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini and Interim President Don Landry for the chance.
Canady, 71, served in the Florida House and in U.S. Congress before becoming general counsel and later an appeals court judge under former Gov. Jeb Bush.
During his time in Washington, Canady was an outspoken opponent of abortion. He is credited with coining the term “partial birth abortion” and writing the original bill to try to ban it in Congress.
He also was one of the congressmen who helped prosecute former President Bill Clinton’s 1999 impeachment trial.
Canady is married to State Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland.
With Canady’s retirement, Gov. Ron DeSantis will have to choose his replacement. The state’s judicial qualifying commission will give DeSantis a list of potential nominees to choose from.
This also means DeSantis will have chosen six of the seven Florida Supreme Court justices by the end of his time in office. Only Justice Jorge LaBarga is left among the justices chosen by DeSantis’ predecessors. He was also appointed by Gov. Crist in 2008.
Justices, once appointed, are subject to a retention vote every six years, which gives Florida voters the chance to take them off the bench if they wish. The governor then appoints a new one.
Justices are also required to retire once they turn 75.
Information from News Service of Florida contributed to this story.
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