Charles Canady | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 54th Chief Justice of Florida | |
| In office July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jorge Labarga |
| Succeeded by | Carlos G. Muñiz |
| In office July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Peggy Quince |
| Succeeded by | Ricky Polston |
| Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida | |
| In office September 6, 2008 – December 31, 2025 | |
| Appointed by | Charlie Crist |
| Preceded by | Raoul Cantero |
| Succeeded by | Adam Tanenbaum |
| Judge of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal | |
| In office November 20, 2002 – September 6, 2008 | |
| Appointed by | Jeb Bush |
| Preceded by | Oliver Green |
| Succeeded by | Marva Crenshaw |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 12th district | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Andy Ireland (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Adam Putnam |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 44th district | |
| In office November 6, 1984 – November 6, 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Gene Ready |
| Succeeded by | Joe Viscusi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Terrance Canady June 22, 1954 Lakeland, Florida, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic (before 1989) Republican (1989–present) |
| Spouse | Jennifer Canady |
| Education | Haverford College (BA) Yale University (JD) |
| Website | Official website |
Charles Terrance Canady (born June 22, 1954) is an American attorney and judge who served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Florida from 2008 to 2025. He previously served as Chief Justice from 2010 to 2012 and from 2018 to 2022.[1]
Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Canady was a judge on Florida's Second District Court of Appeal from 2002 to 2008, and a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001.
Early life and career
Born in Lakeland, Florida, Canady graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Haverford College in 1976 and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1979. He was admitted to the bar the same year and began his practice in Lakeland. In 1983, he was hired as the legal counsel for the Central Florida Regional Planning Commission. From 1984 to 1990, Canady served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, initially elected as a conservative Democrat, he switched parties in June 1989. The change created many hard feelings as it happened after he accepted Democratic money for his re-election campaign. He ran for the Florida State Senate in 1990, but was unsuccessful.
U.S. House of Representatives
In 1992, Canady made a successful bid for the U.S. House of Representatives, narrowly defeating his Democratic opponent Tom Mims. In Congress, Canady was credited for coining the term "partial-birth abortion" while developing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995.[2][3] According to Keri Folmar, the lawyer responsible for the bill's language, the term was developed in early 1995 in a meeting among herself, Canady and National Right to Life Committee lobbyist Douglas Johnson.[4] Canady could not find this particular abortion practice named in any medical textbook and therefore he and his aides named it.[5] Canady served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Judiciary Committee between January 1995 and January 2001.[6] During this tenure, Canady led an inquiry on the question of assisted suicide in the United States. The report published was later cited in the Supreme Court decision, Washington v. Glucksberg, which ruled that the Constitution did not protect a right to assisted suicide.[7][8] Canady was one of the House managers appointed to prosecute the impeachment trial proceedings of President Bill Clinton.[9] He did not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2000, keeping a term limits pledge he made in 1992.
Judicial service
After leaving Congress, Canady served as general counsel for Florida Governor Jeb Bush before he was appointed a judge on the Second Florida District Court of Appeal in 2002, taking seat in November of that year. On August 27, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist appointed Canady to the Supreme Court of Florida to replace Justice Raoul Cantero, who was returning to private practice. He became the 82nd justice of the Florida Supreme Court on September 6, 2008.[10]
In 2013, Governor Rick Scott signed the Timely Justice Act (HB 7101)[11] which overhauled the processes for capital punishment;[12] the United States Supreme Court struck down part of this law in January 2016 in Hurst v. Florida,[13][14] leading the Florida legislature to pass a new statute.[15] The new sentencing scheme came before the Florida Supreme Court in October 2016, which held that a death sentence must be issued by a unanimous jury.[16] Canady was one of two justices to dissent from this opinion, with coverage noting his inclusion amongst Donald Trump's list of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees[17] which was released less than a month earlier.[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Chronology of the Chief Justices of Florida" (PDF). The Office of Public Information, State of Florida. June 30, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ Gordon, Alex. "The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003". Harvard Journal on Legislation. Volume 41, Number 2, Summer 2004. (see footnote 15)
- ^ H.R.1833. To amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial-birth abortions Archived November 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Gorney, Cynthia. Gambling With Abortion. Harper's Magazine, November 2004.
- ^ Simon, Adam. "Elite Discourse, Programming and Survey Response in the Partial Birth Abortion Debate" Archived June 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (March 2003).
- ^ "Judge Charles Canady". Florida Second District Court of Appeal.
- ^ Charles T. Canady (1996). Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in the Netherlands (Report). Subcommittee on the Constitution, United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.
- ^ Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997).
- ^ "List of Individuals Impeached by the House of Representatives | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. United States House of Representatives Office of the Historian, Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Justice Charles Canady: Starting a New Career" The Ledger, September 7, 2008.
- ^ "HB 7101". Flsenate.gov. Florida State Senate. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (June 14, 2016). "Gov. Rick Scott signs bill to speed up executions in Florida". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (January 12, 2016). "Supreme Court Strikes Down Part of Florida Death Penalty". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ Alvarez, Lizette (February 2, 2016). "Supreme Court Ruling Has Florida Scrambling to Fix Death Penalty Law". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
- ^ Berman, Mark (March 7, 2016). "Florida death penalty officially revamped after Supreme Court struck it down". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ Klas, Mary Ellen; Ovalle, David (October 14, 2016). "Court again tosses state death penalty; ruling raises bar on capital punishment". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ Farias, Cristian (October 25, 2016). "Florida's Death Penalty Law Is Ruled Unconstitutional – Again". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ Flores, Reena (September 23, 2016). "Donald Trump will expand list of possible Supreme Court picks". CBS News. Retrieved September 23, 2016 – via MSN.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- 1954 births
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature
- 20th-century United States representatives
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Florida
- Florida Democrats
- Florida lawyers
- Judges of the Florida District Courts of Appeal
- Justices of the Supreme Court of Florida
- Haverford College alumni
- Living people
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- People from Lakeland, Florida
- Republican Party United States representatives from Florida
- Yale Law School alumni
