MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Hispanic Justice Carlos Genaro Muñiz will become the next chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court after a vote Wednesday by his colleagues.
The court announced in a news release that Muñiz will begin his two-year term as chief justice on July 1. He will replace Justice Charles Canady, who will remain on the seven-member court.
Muñiz, 52, was appointed to the court in January 2019 by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Among other positions, he previously served as general counsel to former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and chief of staff to former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. He also worked for former Gov. Jeb Bush.
The court chooses a chief justice for a two-year term in even-numbered years. Canady has served three terms in the top post.
“Our court’s focus will remain on serving the people of our great state and supporting all the judges and staff who work with us in the judicial branch to administer justice on a daily basis,” Muñiz said.
Muñiz’s father migrated to the US in the 1970s from Nicaragua. The justice was born in Chicago in 1969.