Today, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Carlos Muñiz, of Tallahassee, to the Florida Supreme Court. The announcement marks the second Hispanic justice appointed by Governor DeSantis to the bench and makes Justice Muñiz the first Nicaraguan-American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. The appointment also marks Governor DeSantis’ third appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, following the recent appointments of Justices Robert Luck and Barbara Lagoa.
“Justice Muñiz is among the highest qualified individuals to serve our state as a jurist on the Florida Supreme Court,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Justice Muñiz is regarded by his peers within the legal community as one of the most brilliant legal minds to serve our state. His record in public service spans across two decades and all three branches of government where he’s demonstrated a deep appreciation for the separation of powers throughout these institutions and a clear regard for the proper role of the courts. Justice Muñiz has served with distinction at the highest levels of our state and federal government and I’m proud he will continue that service on our state’s highest court.”
Justice Carlos Muñiz
Justice Muñiz graduated with High Honors from the University of Virginia earning his B.A. in 1991, and after working on Capitol Hill for the U.S. Department of Justice, he decided to pursue a legal career and graduated from Yale Law School in 1997 where he served as an editor of the prestigious Yale Law Journal.
After law school, Justice Muñiz secured two prestigious federal clerkships with Judge Thomas A. Flannery on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and with Judge Jose A. Cabranes on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
A trusted legal advisor, in 2001, Justice Muñiz moved to Florida and joined the administration of Governor Jeb Bush as Deputy General Counsel working for then- General Counsel Charles Canady. Justice Muñiz’s public service experience also includes serving as general counsel for the Department of Financial Services and as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel in the Florida House of Representatives for Speaker Marco Rubio.
Justice Muñiz also served as Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff for Attorney General Pam Bondi from 2011-2014, overseeing the office’s major litigation and investigations and advising the Attorney General on participating in litigation to protect the State’s interests including in multistate and U.S. Supreme Court cases. As a Deputy General Counsel in the Governor’s Office and as the Deputy Attorney General, Justice Muñiz was required to advise on the administration of Florida’s death penalty and to work on related litigation.
In addition to his government service, Justice Muñiz has broad private practice experience working at top law firms such as Hogan & Hartson in Washington, D.C., Gray Robinson, P.A., and McGuire Woods. His private practice has involved defending businesses in government investigations, civil litigation, commercial disputes, constitutional and civil rights, and administrative law.
Justice Muñiz, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump in February of 2018 and later confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education. There, he has personally supervised all of the Department’s significant litigation in state and federal courts across the country.
