TALLAHASSEE \u2014 Gov. Ron DeSantis will choose from among six finalists \u2014 including five current or former appellate judges \u2014 to replace longtime Justice Charles Canady on the Florida Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Canady, a conservative mainstay on the court since 2008, announced last month that he was stepping down to become director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida.<\/p>\n
The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission on Tuesday announced the names of the finalists, a day after interviewing applicants. When he makes a pick, DeSantis will have appointed six of the seven Supreme Court justices, with the only exception being Justice Jorge Labarga.<\/p>\n
DeSantis\u2019 appointments have created a conservative court, and the finalists to replace Canady likely would bring a similar philosophy. The finalists are:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Roger Gannam, who was appointed by DeSantis in 2023 to serve on the 6th District Court of Appeal. Before his appointment to the Lakeland-based appellate court, Gannam worked as assistant vice president of legal affairs at the conservative organization Liberty Counsel, where Gannam said in his Supreme Court application that he represented \u201cindividuals and organizations in public interest, religious liberty litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 John Guard, who is a senior counselor to Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier and previously served as chief deputy attorney general for Uthmeier and former Attorney General Ashley Moody. Guard also has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a federal district judge, but the nomination remains pending in the U.S. Senate, according to Guard\u2019s Supreme Court application.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Robert Long, who was appointed by DeSantis in 2020 to serve on the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal. Long previously served as a judge in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Leon County and surrounding counties, and as a judge advocate in the U.S. Navy.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Joshua Mize, who began serving on the 6th District Court of Appeal in January 2023 after being appointed by DeSantis. Mize\u2019s previous positions included serving as a judge in the 9th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Orange and Osceola counties.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Samuel Salario, who served as a judge on the 2nd District Court of Appeal from 2015 to 2020. Since February 2023, Salario has been an attorney with the firm Lawson Huck Gonzalez, PLLC, which includes former Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Adam Tanenbaum, who was appointed by DeSantis to serve on the 1st District Court of Appeal in 2019. Before the judicial appointment, Tanenbaum worked as general counsel for the Florida House and general counsel for the Florida Department of State.<\/p>\n
Other applicants for the Supreme Court seat were 3rd District Court of Appeal Judge Alex Bokor; Hunter Carroll, a judge in the 12th Judicial Circuit in Sarasota; Thomas Palermo, a judge in the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa; and 6th District Court of Appeal Judge Jared Smith.<\/p>\n
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