UF Interim President Donald Landry announced today that Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady will serve as the next director of the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, following interim director Robert Ingram.
UF’s Hamilton Center is the newest school at UF, aiming to teach students “how to think, not what to think,” according to its website.
Canady will step down from the Supreme Court of Florida, where he was a justice since 2008. Appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist, he went on to hold the position of Chief Justice three times, from 2010 to 2012, in 2018 and again in 2020. Canady is known for his conservative judicial philosophy and influence on constitutional interpretation.
"I will always deeply value my years on the court," Canady said in a statement. "But the time has come to move on to another position of public service."
He will follow Ingram, a longtime humanities professor who taught for two decades at the University of Ohio before teaching at UF. He served as associate director of the Hamilton Center since 2022, before starting his role as interim director this August.
There has been no mention of a formal statement of resignation by Ingram. He could not be immediately reached for comment. His appointment as interim director was explicitly for a one-year term.
Canady was a student at both Haverford College and Yale Law School before starting his political career as a state representative. He was later elected as a Republican U.S. representative for the Gulf coast.
Before joining the court, Canady served three terms in the Florida House and four in Congress, where he chaired the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.
His legal career has included private practice, appellate service and a period of general counsel to former Gov. Jeb Bush.
Canady has also been the subject of recent public discussion regarding judicial ethics and recusal standards. During the Florida Supreme Court’s review of the state’s new abortion restrictions, advocates and legal observers noted his wife, state Rep. Jennifer Canady, co-sponsored the six-week abortion bill whose implementation could hinge on the court’s ruling, potentially making her a conflict of interest.
While Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct mentions avoiding the appearance of impropriety, it does not explicitly address situations involving a justice’s spouse sponsoring legislation that later comes before the court.
As Canady prepares to assume his role at the Hamilton Center on Jan. 1, UF praised the depth of his legal experience and his long record in public life. Landry described Canady as an “exceptional selection” to the role because of his legal experience.
Contact Swasthi Maharaj at smaharaj@alligator.org. Follow her on X @s_maharaj1611.
Swasthi is the Fall 2025 university administration reporter. She's previously worked as general assignment reporter with The Alligator, and you can also find her work in Rowdy Magazine or The Florida Finibus. When she's not staring at her laptop screen or a textbook, she's probably taking a long walk or at a yoga class.
