Staff Reports
Charles Canady‘s colleagues on the Florida Supreme Court unanimously reelected him Chief Justice for another two-year term, according to a Monday news release.
Starting July 1, 2020, the 65-year-old will serve a third term as head of the state’s highest court, doubling as chief administrative officer of the state courts system.
Canady has been on the Supreme Court since 2008. Here’s more from the release:
From 2010 to 2012, Canady became Florida’s 54th chief justice since statehood in his first term as head of the Supreme Court and the state judiciary.
In July 2018, he started a second two-year term as chief justice. His re-election now extends that term by another two years through June 30, 2022.
The 1976 graduate of Haverford College went on to attend Yale Law School and received his degree there in 1979. He was in private practice from 1979 through 1992.
In November 1984, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, serving three terms through November 1990.
Canady later served in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 1993 through January 2001. His assignments there included membership on the House Judiciary Committee and Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.
After leaving Congress, Canady became General Counsel to Gov. Jeb Bush, who later appointed him to Florida’s 2nd District Court of Appeal in November 2002.
On August 28, 2008, Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Canady to the Florida Supreme Court, where he took office on Sept. 8, 2008. Canady is married to Jennifer Houghton Canady and is the father of two children.
Under Florida’s constitution, the Chief Justice is elected by the other Justices.
Court rules say that Florida’s chief justices can serve more than one term and that selection should be based on managerial, administrative, and leadership abilities rather than strictly on seniority – although Canady currently is the longest serving member of the Court.
