With his first appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Charlie Crist has picked the most partisan candidate available. Whether Charles T. Canady will bring his politics to the high court remains to be seen, but Crist has just declared his own.
In announcing the appointment on Thursday, Crist tried to couch the decision in terms of legal experience and the "fair and just" rulings Canady has made "throughout his career." But that's purposefully misleading. Canady, 54, spent 16 years in elected and appointed office before Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him to the 2nd District Court of Appeal. His judicial "career" has lasted all of six years, and during merit retention in 2004 the Florida Bar rated his qualifications the lowest among the five 2nd DCA judges on the ballot.
The credentials that would vault Canady ahead of the other five candidates for this post are entirely political in nature. He was a litmus-test warrior in the Legislature and in Congress, fighting against school prayer, abortion, gay rights, affirmative action and flag burning. He served as a House manager for the impeachment of President Clinton, decrying the "pernicious example of lawlessness."
Does this record square with the kind of "wisdom, fairness and humility" that Crist said he sought?
The governor has the extraordinary opportunity to appoint three more justices in his first term, which means he could still honor his pledge to "only appoint the most highly qualified'' applicants. His choice of Canady falls short of that standard.
Canady is a Yale Law School graduate who may rise above his politics when he joins the high court, but the reason the Florida Chamber of Commerce and conservative watchdogs are applauding the appointment is that they are confident he won't.
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