Charles T. Canady: Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

• Author: Jones, Annie Butterworth
• Position: Cover story

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A Wendy's fast food restaurant seems like an unusual place for a philosophical debate, but Charles Canady rarely does anything conventionally. As a young associate at Holland & Knight, the mild-mannered Canady joined fellow attorneys for a lunch hour at the local fast food chain, laughing and bickering over the goings-on at the office, typical for a weekday business lunch. Within minutes, the atmosphere changed as Canady, a conservative Yale graduate, and his more liberal lunch mate from Harvard began to engage in a loud political debate, earning the attention of several Wendy's patrons enjoying mid-afternoon Frostys and French fries.

It's not the only time Charles Canady has gotten riled up about something. In fact, over the years, that brief moment in Wendy's has replayed itself in larger venues across the span of his life: on the floor of the Florida Legislature, arguing before the Senate in Washington, and advocating on behalf of Governor Jeb Bush.

Through the different milestones, this otherwise composed, soft-spoken man has remained passionate about one thing: the law.

On this particular day, he sits quietly, drumming his fingers on the table, occasionally staring out the window at the Capitol building across the street. Both his words and his movements come slowly and deliberately, a stark contrast to the way he got here, the new chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

"It is quick," acknowledges Canady with a smile.

With just two years on the high court barely printed on his resume, he has transitioned swiftly into the title of chief. Yet there's no anxiety in his face, no nervousness in his voice.

His unruffled demeanor doesn't come as much of a shock when you think about the numerous evolutions he's made in his 30-year career: lawyer to congressman, bachelor to father, chief counsel to chief justice.

As one of the few justices with the rare distinction of working in every branch of government, Canady coined the term "partial birth abortion" in his fight for a nationally publicized bill banning the practice in 1995. He argued for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton just two terms into his career in U.S. Congress and faced a serious crisis when he joined Governor Jeb Bush's office as general counsel just prior to the Rilya Wilson case. Wilson, a toddler living in foster care, had been missing for two years before her disappearance was discovered by the Department of Children and Families, a debacle which resulted in the resignation of the DCF chief and a new law requiring tracking of efforts to find missing children. In 2002, Canady put away politics for a life on the bench, first at the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland, then at the Supreme Court in Tallahassee.

The Pursuit of Politics

Formerly a real estate lawyer in Lakeland, Canady practiced at Holland & Knight for only three years before trying his hand at politics. He lost his first race for the state legislature, but the damage was done. "I did well enough that I knew I might want to try again," said Canady.

A quiet and studious young man, politics was in Canady's blood. His father, a political aid to then-Senator Lawton Chiles, recruited Charles as a junior high student to pass out brochures for Chiles and other local candidates. And, during Chiles' first race for the U.S. Senate, Charles used a homemade silkscreen to produce campaign signs.

Following that first loss, Canady left Holland & Knight for the firm Lane-Trohn (now GrayRobinson), whose partners allowed him to pursue politics--specifically, a position in the Florida House of Representatives.

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"I tried to discourage him from politics," said Robert Trohn, a partner at the original firm. "I thought Charles had the makings of being a really fine lawyer, and I was not enthusiastic about politics. In my own values, Charles would have been better practicing law.

"He thought otherwise, and he thought correctly."

In 1984, Canady, then a registered Democrat, won a seat in the Florida House representing District 12, just two years after his first race and five after his graduation from Yale Law School. Immediately, Canady immersed himself in the workings of the Legislature.

His father, who frequented Tallahassee on business, would stop by the Capitol for brief visits. "One of the lobbyists in the hall said, 'Let me tell you something about your son!'" remembers Canady, Sr. "'Everybody up here's found one thing: When they go see your son, they better know everything they're to talk with him about because if not, he'll know more than they do!'"

The eldest son of the prominent campaign manager worked diligently, sponsoring legislation in his first year to provide additional funding for emergency medical services. It was what he describes as his "first real legislative success."

"I'd like to think that because of that there are some people who received emergency medical treatment in an efficient or effective way that wouldn't have received it without that legislation," said Canady. "The lives of some people might have been saved."

Canady held his seat through three separate elections, but in 1989, the conservative Democrat made an unusual decision to change his party affiliation. The move to the GOP suited Canady's ideology, but came with consequences. As a Democrat, Canady had been given optimum office space: a prominent spot in the Appropriations Suite, a location typically reserved for more senior legislators. It was a perk of being a young face in the majority party. When he became a Republican, Canady was moved to a tiny office in the basement of the Capitol.

The penalties didn't end there.

In 1990, Canady ran for the Senate, his first race as a Republican. He lost.

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"There were quite a few losses on the way here," Canady remembers with a laugh.

The losses, though, never seemed to bother him. Instead, he treated the setbacks as necessary steps that had to be taken on his way to the top. Family members say Canady possessed this composed, "the facts are just the facts" outlook as a young man. It's an attitude that hasn't changed much, even after the successes finally began to outweigh the losses.

"He's not going to talk about himself in any glowing terms," said Lakeland attorney Jim Valenti. "That's just not him."

Two years after his Senate defeat, Canady chose to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. This time it was a race he won.

Moving past the Mason-Dixon

Years earlier, Canady had chosen a different path from most of his fellow Lakeland High School graduates. He shied away from the local universities and instead chose a smaller private school: Haverford College outside Philadelphia.

Canady's father thought the choice odd, especially for a child who was so bookish and particular. "I thought to myself: Haverford?" laughs Charles, Sr. "I didn't know anything about Haverford!"

Ever the concerned father, the elder Canady headed straight for the public library to make sure his son hadn't made a decision he was going to regret. He needn't have worried.

"I found out it was one of the top schools in the East," concedes Canady. "He had done his homework, as he usually did."

For a teen who had never been beyond the Mason-Dixon Line, Haverford, a liberal arts school founded by the Society of Friends, was a bit of a culture shock. "During that first semester, I was homesick," Canady admitted. He left campus for the Christmas holidays, not sure if he'd be coming back. Then he got his grades. "I had done pretty well, and I thought, well, I like this. So I stayed."

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The political bug that had bitten Canady as a child came back in full force at Haverford. His father's position as Senator Chiles' assistant made it possible for Canady to attend every State of the Union address, a privilege he happily took advantage of. He majored in political science and history, with the intent of possibly pursuing a role in academia. His father and mother, both educators, were surprised when he went in a different direction.

"I have never for a moment regretted having made the decision to become a lawyer," he said. "There may have been some days where I didn't particularly enjoy the practice of law, but I've never second-guessed that career choice."

Canady chose to stay in the northeast for three more years to attend Yale Law School, graduating in 1979 with the likes of Sonia Sotomayor, now a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. His three years at Yale were quiet ones; his focus never strayed far from the books.

"Charles was very studious and very serious," remembers friend and Yale classmate Robert Klonoff. "As you get to know him, his humor comes out. But at first appearance, he's a bit...