Carlos Muniz – Governor DeSantis’s 3rd Florida Supreme Court pick
Bottom Line: Our ever-busy Governor marked the 2nd full week in office by making his third and final selection for Florida’s Supreme Court with the selection of Carlos Muniz. There’s a reasonable chance that however long Ron serves as governor, 4 or even 8 years, his greatest legacy will be these three decisions right now at the onset of his administration. It’s been said and may prove to be true that Florida’s left leaning Supreme Court, most evidenced by their ruling in the Florida 2000 recount process that the US Supreme Court put an end to, will now shift to the right. It’s always an oversimplification to make that assumption however. Many justices are assumed to be partisans for a particular agenda when nominated only to rule differently than those expectations once on the bench. As I’ve done with each of Florida’s Supreme Court nominees here’s a closer look at Carlos Muniz.
First, here’s a bit about his personal background:
- Born in Chicago, Illinois
- He’s married and a father
- His children are home schooled
- Graduated with a B.A. from the University of Virginia and obtained his law degree from Yale
- Was the Editor of the Yale Law Journal
- Member of the Federalist Society
- Served as a Civil Rights Analyst for the Department of Justice
- Has served as a policy director for the Republican Party of Florida
- Volunteers/supports the Open Door’s Women’s clinic in Tallahassee (pro-life pregnancy center)
And his professional background:
- Served as Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush
- Was General Counsel to the Florida Department of Financial Services
- Was the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Florida House of Representatives
- Was Florida’s Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff
- Was Partner and Senior Vice President of the McGuire Woods Consulting
- Served as General Counsel for the US Department of Education (appointed by President Trump)
And of course, people want to know about ideological considerations. Here’s what He’s most known for professionally. Here’s where he differs the most from the other two Supreme Court selections. Carlos has a long and impressive career as an attorney but has never served as a judge. He’s practiced about every kind of law including...
- Business
- Civil Litigation
- Criminal
- Entertainment, Arts and Sports
- Family
For that reason, but not exclusively, expect there to be more push back on this pick by many media outlets and pundits. You might have picked up on his role advising the Republican Party previously along with homeschooling and his work within the pro-life community. In others words, Carlos is demonstrably the most overtly conservative selection of the three.
I characterized Barbara Lagoa as a Libertarianish conservative and Robert Luck as an economic minded conservative. Carlos Muniz can probably be best described as a rock-solid conservative. Someone who walks the walk and will now assume his role on the Florida Supreme Court.