[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E22]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING FORMER U.S. REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES T. CANADY UPON HIS 
         INVESTITURE AS A JUSTICE TO THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM H. PUTNAM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 6, 2009

  Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a former 
member of this body, Representative Charles T. Canady on the occasion 
of his investiture as a Justice to the Supreme Court of the State of 
Florida.
  During his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Justice 
Canady served this nation and the people of the 12th Congressional 
District, which I now represent, with honor and distinction. His 
steadfast commitment toward upholding the laws and principles on which 
our nation was founded, will serve the people of the State of Florida 
well through his appointment as a Justice to the Florida Supreme Court.
  Born in Lakeland, Florida, Justice Canady earned his B.A. from 
Haverford College in 1976 and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Yale 
University in 1979. Thereafter, he practiced law in Lakeland at the 
firm of Holland and Knight and with the Lane, Trohn, Clarke, Bertrand 
and Williams law firm. In 1984, he was elected to the Florida House of 
Representatives where he served through 1990.
  In 1992, Justice Canady was elected to the 103rd Congress and served 
four terms in the United States House of Representatives from January 
1993 to January 2001. Throughout his tenure in Congress, Justice Canady 
was an active member of the House Judiciary Committee. For three terms 
from January 1995 to January 2001, former Rep. Canady was the Chairman 
of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. In this 
capacity, his efforts toward protecting and defending the laws of our 
nation made a lasting mark not only on this body, but on the American 
people for whom we are called serve.
  While a member of the House of Representatives, Former Rep. Canady 
worked with steadfast dedication and fortitude on the issues found at 
the core of our country's belief system. Among his contributions 
include passage into law of the Religious Liberty Protection Act, which 
protects all citizens' right to exercise their religious freedoms. He 
also championed the Civil Rights Act of 1997, the Partial-Birth 
Abortion Ban Act, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons 
Act, the Private Property Rights Implementation Act, Equal Opportunity 
Act, as well as the Family Caregiver Enumeration Act.
  Appointed as a House Manager to conduct the presidential impeachment 
proceedings, he worked to uphold the laws of our nation through his 
unwavering commitment to the principles of the Constitution of the 
United States and the governing rules of our country.
  Justice Canady kept his term limits pledge, and did not seek 
reelection to a fifth term in 2000. After leaving Congress, Justice 
Canady returned to the practice of law, serving as counsel to Governor 
Jeb Bush. In 2002, Governor Bush appointed him to Florida's Second 
District Court of Appeal. On August 27, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist 
nominated Justice Canady to the Florida Supreme Court. His nomination 
was confirmed and Justice Canady took his seat as the 82nd Associate 
Justice to the Florida Supreme Court on September 8, 2008, and was 
sworn-in through a formal investiture on December 3, 2008.
  Former Congressman Charles T. Canady resided until his appointment to 
the Florida Supreme Court in Lakeland, Florida, and is married to wife 
Jennifer and has two daughters, Julia and Anna. Charles T. Canady is 
the son of Charles and Delores Canady.

                          ____________________