Meet Charles Canady who was just sworn in as a Florida Supreme Court justice named by Governor Crist. He is one of the most religious conservative judges in Florida. He used to be a Democrat, became a Republican, and became more right wing as he grew older.
In today's print edition of the paper these words were proudly posted above the article about him.
Forgive the jpeg format, but I had to scan it. They changed the word Lord to Law in the online edition. The print edition also carried the above paragraph at the end.
"For those of you who pray I ask that you pray that I will always judge with wisdom and integrity as a faithful servant of the Lord," he said.
Lakeland's Canady Sworn In To Florida's Supreme CourtHe also cited other influences on his career, including his time on the 2nd DCA. He said the appellate court would have "a special place in my heart … even on those occasions when it's my duty as a justice on this court to quash and disapprove" opinions from the lower court - drawing a laugh from the crowd.
Canady offered thanks to the many family members in attendance, focusing the most on his wife and two daughters and his mother and father, Delores and Charles Canady. "They have always been there for me," he said.
He also recognized his religious faith, noting the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lakeland has played "a central part in my life."
He promised the governor and the judicial panel that nominated him for the job that he would "strive to be worthy of the confidence" they put into him.
"For those of you who pray I ask that you pray that I will always judge with wisdom and integrity as a faithful servant of the law," he said.
That article does not tell much about his congressional activities nor his very conservative bent in supporting bills. This next one goes into more detail.
From the St. Petersburg Times:
Crist taps Canady as first state Supreme Court appointmentTALLAHASSEE — Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday tapped for the Florida Supreme Court an appellate judge who led the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and who crafted federal antiabortion legislation.
..."Canady is about as doctrinaire right-wing Republican as you'll find, but he's outstanding in his intellectual ability," said lawyer W. Dexter Douglass, who advised former Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles on Supreme Court selections. "I suppose the governor felt he had to recognize that wing of the party at some point, and he picked a good one to do it with."
Crist said he did not select Canady for his political ideology, although acknowledged some may see it that way.
"I was looking for a nominee with great integrity, great intellect and great compassion," Crist said in an interview. "He so impressed me in his interview. … He's a humble man, a very good listener
The article also lists some of his more conservative work.
In 1992, the younger Canady won election to Congress, where he led the charge for many conservative social causes. He's credited with developing the ideologically charged phrase "partial-birth abortion" and crafting the original legislation vetoed by Clinton that banned the procedure. President George W. Bush signed another version into law in 2003, which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2007......Sitting on that bench last year, Canady was among judges who affirmed a trial court's ruling rejecting a Catholic teenager's request to obtain an abortion without notifying her parents. The panel affirmed the lower court's denial, even as a dissenting colleague said the trial judge injected his religious beliefs in the proceeding by saying an abortion is "one of the biggest things of the Catholic faith regarding what they believe should never be done."
Florida Democrats attending their national convention in Denver reeled over the news of Crist's pick.
"It's just very disappointing that the governor chose someone associated so much with the right wing and most conservative ideologies instead of someone who is more mainstream," said state Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston.
The writers list after the end of the article some of Canady's most important cases.
Canady's most important cases
Each applicant for the Florida Supreme Court was asked to list the "five most significant cases you have personally litigated." Unlike other applicants, Charles Canady's list were all cases in the political arena, either as a U.S. representative or general counsel for Gov. Jeb Bush. On his list:
Impeachment of President Clinton, 1999: "I was appointed as one of 13 Managers to represent the United States House of Representatives. My responsibilities in the case primarily involved organizing and participating in the presentation of the arguments."
Holmes vs. Bush, 2000: "I represented Governor Bush in defending the Opportunity Scholarship Program (school vouchers) … against the constitutional challenge."
Florida Senate vs. Florida Public Employees Council 79, AFSCHME, 2001: Wrote a friend of the court brief for Bush, who sided with the Legislature in appealing a ruling barring lawmakers from meeting to consider issues related to collective bargaining.
Constitutionality of a House Joint Resolution 1897, 2002: Prepared a friend of the court brief for Bush, who opposed Attorney General Bob Butterworth's efforts to have the courts throw out the Legislature's redrawing of political districts.
Bottoson vs. Moore; King vs. Moore, 2002: Wrote friend of the court briefs for Bush in defense of Florida's death sentencing system.
His other appointment so far is very conservative as well, perhaps more so than Canady.
From a pro-life site, Life News.
Florida Abortion Advocates Upset Crist Picks Pro-Life Supreme Court JudgesTallahassee, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates in Florida are upset with Governor Charlie Crist, who has selected two judges friendly to the pro-life movement for the Florida Supreme Court. Crist named conservative appellate judge Ricky Polston to the court today and former Rep. Charles Canady earlier.
The selections of Polston and Canady are disappointing to abortion advocates.
The Florida Association of Planned Parenthood Affiliates condemned both picks and noted that Polston, when he was an attorney in private practice, representing the backers of the Choose Life license plate in their efforts to get it approved. The plate sparked others nationwide has resulted in millions of dollars in funding for pregnancy centers and adoption programs.
''Supreme Court Justices can serve on the court for decades and their decisions impact the lives and health of Florida women and families for generations to come,'' Florida Planned Parenthood director Adrienne Kimmell said in a statement.
Other payments for the centers that are called pregnancy centers (but which are often anti-abortion clinics) are made from the funding of
abstinence only education which was raised 28 million by our Democratic congress last year.
"Krista Yurchak, executive director of Lakeland's other anti-abortion clinic, A Woman's Choice, said she expects more demand for the clinic's services as a result of the political realignment in Washington. She said she is already planning to stoke her marketing efforts, which now include television commercials, a phone directory ad and an Internet presence.
.."Yurchak said her clinic benefits from a federal grant for abstinence-based education that she now considers to be in jeopardy. The five-year grant, which Yurchak labeled "substantial," began last year.
"We're all very aware we need to move quickly to secure private funding so we don't have to be dependent on this federal grant, because that's something that may go away," Yurchak said.
There has been a lot of upset about the those two judges, and I hear both are anti-gay as well as anti-abortion.
I don't think the change from the word Lord to law in the online edition of the paper was accidental, I think it was changed. There are comments online after the original article that indicate it might have been changed. I hear they got some phone calls about the use of the word Lord by Canady as well.
Charlie Crist is doing the majority of Floridians no favor with his picks for the Supreme Court.
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