Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz

Judicial Background

• 2019 - present: Justice, Florida Supreme Court. Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis. He is serving as Chief Judge, a rotating position on the Court.

Additional Background

Before he became a judge, Muñiz had about 19 years of experience as an attorney. In that time, he did not argue any cases to completion. Some of his career was spent in Washington, D.C.

He spent about 9 years in private practice. He defended businesses in government investigations. His civil litigation work includes government-related matters, commercial disputes, and constitutional and civil rights.

The bulk of the time was spent in government law at the state or federal level:

• 1 year as General Counsel under Betsy DeVos, U.S. Department of Education. Appointed by President Donald Trump, confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Acted as legal advisor, supervising the department's litigation in state and federal courts around the country.
• 3 years as Deputy Attorney General & Chief-of-Staff under Pam Bondi, Office of the Attorney General of Florida. Oversaw litigation and investigations and advised Bondi.
• 2 years as General Counsel & Deputy Chief-of-Staff under Senator Marco Rubio, Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
• 2 years as General Counsel, Florida Department of Financial Services
• 2.5 years as Deputy General Counsel, administration of Governor Jeb Bush. Managed litigation, oversaw executive legal departments, and advised Bush.

In addition to his legal experience, he was the Policy Director of the Republican Party of Florida (2006-2007). He was also a Civil Rights Analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (1991-1994).

Before that, he clerked for 1 year each at the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia and U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Connecticut. He was also a Summer Associate at 3 different private practice firms.