In his final step in reshaping the Florida Supreme Court, Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday named his third justice to the high court since taking office two weeks ago.
Carlos Muniz emerged from an 11-candidate field – all of whom were interviewed personally by the governor. With Muniz — along with Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck — DeSantis has appointed three justices who are expected to shift the ideology of the court to the political right, and back decisions by the Republican-led Legislature and GOP Governor’s office.
“This is a guy who is brilliant, yet humble,” said DeSantis. “Really, I think that is the type of intellectual firepower I want to see on the Court. The other thing is, he really understands the separation of powers. He understands the proper role of the Court.”
During the announcement outside the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, DeSantis said Muniz shares his view of the role of the Court, through his extensive job experience in Florida government.
“He’s approaching it, understanding the role of the legislative branch; he understands the governor’s role, he understands the attorney general’s role and I think that’s a very useful perspective,” said DeSantis. “One of the critiques I’ve had of the court is that [justices] have not understood their proper jurisdiction, and they have expanded it beyond where they should.”
“As I begin his assignment, I’d like to make three commitments; to excellence, to humility, and to liberty,” said Muniz, who served as chief of staff to former Attorney General Pam Bondi, as a deputy general counsel to former Governor Jeb Bush and recently as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education to Sec. Betsy DeVos.
“I will work as hard as I can to make the Florida Supreme Court a model for the nation,” said Muniz. “For a judge, humility means unwavering respect for the separation of powers; everything about our constitutional is a means to the end of both individual freedoms and the right of a free people to govern themselves.”
Muniz is the first Supreme Court appointment since Justice Charles Wells, who was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles in 1994, that has no prior judicial experience. Lagoa and Luck served as appellate judges in South Florida. For Muniz, he’s excited to join the Court.
“The role of a judge is to preserve the constitution, not to add to it or subtract from it. I believe strongly in judicial independence, but judges have to earn that independence through their fidelity to the constitution.”
Carlos Muniz, Barbara Lagoa, and Robert Luck are replacing longtime justices Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis, and Peggy Quince. All required to step down this month because of the mandatory retirement age of 70. All three were widely considered to be left-leaning in their decisions.