Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady announced Monday that he will be leaving his role on the bench to lead the University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education. 

In a statement on the Florida Supreme Court’s website, Canady said that starting in 2026, he will serve “as the director and a tenured professor” at the Hamilton School.  

“I’m very grateful to UF Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini and Interim President Don [Donald] Landry for this opportunity,” Canady said. “And I am eager to begin my work with the outstanding students and faculty at the Hamilton School.” 

Canady, 71, has been a justice of the Florida Supreme Court since his appointment by former Gov. Charlie Christ in 2008. During his 17-year tenure, Canady has served as Florida’s Chief Justice three times – once from 2010-2012, a second time in 2018 and a third in 2020.  

“It has been my great privilege to serve the people of Florida as a justice of the Supreme Court for the last 17 years,” Canady said. “I will always deeply value my years on the Court.” 

In addition to his time on the Supreme Court, Canady also served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives (November 1984 to November 1990) and four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (January 1993 to January 2001).  

The Hamilton School, formerly the Hamilton Center, was established in 2022 by the Florida Legislature and the UF Board of Trustees “with a mission to ‘educate university students in core texts and great debates of Western civilization and the Great Books’ and ‘the principles, ideals, and institutions of the American political order,’” according to a UF press release.  

John Stinneford was the founding director of the Hamilton School and now serves as a Senior Fellow of the school.  

One year after the Hamilton School’s founding, UF announced in the summer of 2023 that Dr. William Inboden, then executive director and chairperson of the Clements Center at the University of Texas at Austin, would become the new director of the Hamilton School. 

In May, Inboden was named the sole finalist for the executive vice president and provost position at UT Austin, a role he was appointed to in July and started in August.  

Not long after Inboden was named a sole finalist for the position at UT Austin, UF announced in a July 10 administrative memo that Robert Ingram, then associate director of the Hamilton School, would serve a one-year appointment as the school’s interim director, effective Aug. 1.  

Mainstreet reached out to Ingram on Tuesday afternoon to inquire about his interim role following Canady’s announcement but could be reached for comment.  

Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.