Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Adam Tanenbaum to serve on the Florida Supreme Court, filling the vacancy created by Justice Charles Canady, who left his seat to become the new director of the Hamilton School at the University of Florida.
When announcing the decision at Seminole High School, where Tanenbaum was student body president and graduated as valedictorian, DeSantis noted that Florida has more than 23 million people.
“And I would guarantee you, you will not find 10 people out of that 23 million who know more about Florida government—not just law, and the Supreme Court and courts, but the agencies, the legislative branch, all that—than Judge Tanenbaum,” DeSantis said. “He knows this stuff very, very well.”
Tanenbaum earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He began his legal career as a law clerk to then-U.S. District Judge Stanley Marcus in the Southern District of Florida, then worked as a private complex commercial litigator for eight years.
Tanenbaum practiced as a private complex commercial litigator in Tampa, Orlando, and New York City, including during several stints at Carlton Fields. He also served as an assistant public defender in Orlando and as an assistant federal public defender in Tampa and Orlando.
Before DeSantis appointed Tanenbaum to the First District Court of Appeal, he served as general counsel for the Florida House of Representatives. In that position, he provided legal advice and counsel to the Speaker of the House and to House members and staff regarding matters of legislative interest. He also advised on ethics laws, public records requirements, House rules and issues requiring constitutional or statutory interpretation.
Now, in appointing Tanenbaum, DeSantis continues to put his conservative stamp on the state’s highest court. Six of the seven state Supreme Court justices have now been appointed by the current governor. At the press conference making the announcement, DeSantis said Tanenbaum had the “warrior spirit” to make difficult rulings “when it may not be as popular to do so.”
“I wholeheartedly embrace your vision, Governor, and I am honored and humbled that you would entrust me with what likely is your capstone appointment to our state’s high court,” Tanenbaum said.
However, the appointment has received pushback from advocacy groups who argued that the appointments by DeSantis have led to numerous decisions dismantling reproductive freedoms, attacking LGBTQ+ rights and weakening environmental and workplace safety protections.
“All people in Florida, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make, deserve to have their rights and freedoms protected,” said Letitia Harmon, on behalf of Florida Rising’s Justice in Every Courtroom campaign. “Unfortunately, Adam Tanenbaum has a track record of prioritizing politics over justice. This appointment poses an undeniable threat to the rights and freedoms of Floridians.”