Tanenbaum tapped to fill Florida Supreme Court post

Michael Carroll – Jan 20, 2026

 Adam Tanenbaum has replaced the retiring Charles Canady on the Florida Supreme Court. – Facebook photo

Adam Tanenbaum, a state appeals court justice who says he “wholeheartedly” supports Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approach to the law, last week became the 94th justice appointed to the Florida Supreme Court.

DeSantis announced on Jan. 14 that Tanenbaum, who has served on the First District Court of Appeal since 2019, would fill the high court vacancy created by retiring Justice Charles Canady. In accepting the position, the new justice said he considers himself an originalist along the lines of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, meaning that he considers the texts of statutes to be fixed at the time of their enactment.

“Our goal as judges is to find the correct, original meaning of the law,” Tanbaum said, adding that the authority of judicial branch officers should be limited to deciding one case at a time.

The appointment pleased William Large, the president of the Florida Justice Reform Institute, which has supported the governor’s civil litigation reforms in recent years.

“Justice Tanenbaum is the type of justice that will say what the law is, not what it should be,” Large told the Florida Record in an email. “I believe he will respect and faithfully interpret the existing text of statutes and the Florida Constitution.”

Tanenbaum said last week that he fully embraces the governor’s vision for the judiciary.

“Thank you, Gov. DeSantis, for boldly and relentlessly pursuing your vision for a state judiciary that respects the rule of law and the separation of powers …” he said.

The new justice was appointed by DeSantis after the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission conducted candidate interviews and selected six finalists. Only 10 attorneys applied to fill the position even though Florida has more than 80,000 active lawyers.

Tanenbaum will serve for at least one year before going before voters in a yes-no retention election, according to the Ballotpedia website.

Much of the new justice’s career has been in the public sector. Prior to serving on the appeals court, he worked as general counsel for the state House of Representatives, where he provided legal advice to the House speaker, elected representatives and staff on issues such as ethics laws, public records and House rules.

Before working for the state Legislature, he was general counsel for the Florida Department of State and chief deputy solicitor general for the state Department of Legal Affairs.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., Tanenbaum began his legal career as a clerk to Stanley Marcus, who was a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida at the time.

He also worked as a commercial litigator handling complex litigation for eight years and served as both a state and federal public defender.

The Governor’s Office reports that while serving on the First District Court of Appeal, Tanenbaum took part in more than 170 appellate opinions, including more than 90 majority opinions.

“He has handled one of Florida’s most demanding appellate dockets and participated in high-profile constitutional cases involving election law, separation of powers and the rights of Floridians,” the Governor’s Office reported.

https://www.legalnewsline.com/florida-record/tanenbaum-tapped-to-fill-florida-supreme-court-post/article_82f2b898-0ef6-4a23-aac6-181a25af4002.html