Charles Canady, the longest serving justice on the Florida Supreme Court, announced Monday that he’s resigning his position to take a job at the University of Florida.
The resignation ensures that six of the seven justices will have been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has longed touted his remake of the state’s highest court.
The resignation comes before Canady, 71, is forced to step down due to age restrictions and before his wife, Rep. Jennifer Canady, is expected to become Speaker of the House following the 2028 elections.
It also comes before DeSantis is term limited out of office and a new governor is elected.
Canady took office Sept. 8, 2008, after being appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Charlie Crist.
He remains on the court for now. “He has not submitted his resignation. He is still a member of the Court,” court spokesman Paul Flemming said by email.
Canady was one of two justices not appointed by DeSantis. The other is Jorge Labarga, who took office on Jan. 6, 2009, also after being appointed by Crist.
In a statement released Monday, Canady said he will always “deeply value” his time on the bench.
“But the time has come to move on to another position of public service. I am looking forward to beginning 2026 as the Director and a tenured professor at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida,” Canady said in a statement.
“I’m very grateful to UF Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini and Interim President Don Landry for this opportunity. And I am eager to begin my work with the outstanding students and faculty at the Hamilton School.”
In addition to serving on the Supreme Court, Canady served in the Florida Legislature for six years, from November 1984 through November 1990. He served in Congress from 1993 through January 2001. Canady was one of the House managers appointed to prosecute the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.
Canady is considered conservative but in a 2024 opinion agreed to green-light proposed Constitutional Amendment 4 to enshrine abortion access in the state. In a razor-thin 4-3 decision, Canady joined the majority finding that the proposed amendment would not in any way mislead voters, break the single-subject rule for initiatives, or violate the U.S. Constitution. “Accordingly, we approve the proposed amendment for placement on the ballot,” the opinion reads.
Likewise, Canady joined the majority in a 5-2 decision to allow proposed Constitutional Amendment 3 on the ballot, which would have authorized recreational use of cannabis for adults.
Canady’s resignation gives DeSantis another opportunity to name a Florida Supreme Court justice and to nail down the conservative leaning of the court.
DeSantis has appointed five of the seven Supreme Court justices: Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz, John Couriel, Jamie Grosshans, Renatha Francis, and Meredith Sasso.
He also appointed Supreme Court justice Robert Luck and Barbara Lagoa to the court in 2019 but they served on the bench for a handful of months before President Donald Trump appointed them to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
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This article appears in Nov. 13 – 19, 2025.