Adam Tanenbaum
Adam Tanenbaum is a judge of the Florida Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 14, 2026. His current term ends in 2029.
Tanenbaum ran for re-election for judge of the Florida 1st District Court of Appeal. He won in the retention election on November 3, 2020.
Tanenbaum became a member of the Florida Supreme Court through an appointment. Ron DeSantis first appointed him to the court in 2026 to the seat vacated by Charles Canady. To learn more about this appointment, State supreme court vacancies, 2025.
Biography
Education
Tanenbaum obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Georgetown University.[1]
Professional career
Before joining the Florida Supreme Court, Tanenbaum served on the Florida 1st District Court of Appeal. In 2019, Tanenbaum was the general counsel to the Florida House of Representatives. He previously served as general counsel for the Florida Department of State and as chief deputy solicitor general in the office of the attorney general of Florida. He was also an assistant public defender.[1]
Elections
2020
Florida 1st District Court of Appeal
Adam Tanenbaum was retained to the Florida 1st District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 65.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
65.2
|
1,008,670 | ||
No |
34.8
|
539,223 | |||
Total Votes |
1,547,893 | ||||
|
|
Campaign finance
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Adam Tanenbaum did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
State supreme court judicial selection in Florida
- See also: Judicial selection in Florida
The seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. A judicial nominating commission consisting of nine members who are appointed by the governor to four-year terms screens potential judicial candidates.[2] The commission submits a list of three to six nominees to the governor, and the governor must then appoint a judge from the list.[3]
Newly appointed judges serve for at least one year, after which they appear in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms.[3] Under the Florida constitution, a judge must retire at age 75; however, a judge who reaches 75 after serving at least half of his or her term may complete that term.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on the court, a judge must be:
- a qualified elector;
- a state resident;
- admitted to practice law in the state for 10 years before assuming the bench; and
- under the age of 75.
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is selected by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for two years.[3]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends three to six qualified candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year before running in a yes-no retention election.[3]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Florida First District Court of Appeal, "On October 16, 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointments of Rachel Nordby and Adam Tanenbaum to the First District Court of Appeal." October 16, 2019
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Florida; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article V, Section 8," accessed September 10, 2021
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