DeSantis Appoints Adam Tanenbaum to Florida Supreme Court

The move gives the governor six of seven seats on the bench, cementing his influence over Florida jurisprudence.

Overview

Tanenbaum, a judge on the First District Court of Appeal and former Florida House general counsel, was tapped to fill the seat vacated by Charles Canady, who left to join the University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education.
In remarks at his Seminole High School alma mater, Tanenbaum identified as an originalist aligned with Justice Clarence Thomas and said courts should correct erroneous past interpretations.
He pledged to scrutinize court-supervised administrative-law practices, and DeSantis called for bold use of the court’s administrative authority, citing Texas’ break from American Bar Association accreditation.
On the appellate bench, Tanenbaum participated in the Byrd v. Black Voters Matter redistricting litigation and a 2021 ruling permitting penalties for districts with strict COVID-19 mask mandates.
With this appointment, only Justice Jorge Labarga remains on the court without a DeSantis appointment, and he faces mandatory retirement before the 2028 election.