Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos G. Muñiz will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot for a statewide merit retention vote. The nonpartisan ballot question asks voters whether Muñiz should be retained in office.

Under Florida's merit retention system, Supreme Court justices do not face an opponent. Voters decide whether a justice should continue serving. A justice who receives a majority of yes votes stays on the court for a new six-year term. A justice who does not is removed from the bench.

Muñiz is certified for the ballot, according to election records.

Candidate information

  • Full name: Carlos Genaro Muñiz
  • Date of birth: June 25, 1969
  • Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
  • Education: Bachelor of arts with high honors, University of Virginia (1991); juris doctor, Yale Law School (1997), where he served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal
  • Appointed: Jan. 22, 2019, by Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a press release from the governor's office
  • Historic note: First Nicaraguan-American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court, according to DeSantis' appointment announcement
  • Court designation: 89th justice of the Florida Supreme Court since statehood in 1845, according to The Florida Bar

Experience and public service

Muñiz was elected by his fellow justices to serve as Florida's 57th chief justice, beginning July 1, 2022, according to The Florida Bar. His peers re-elected him to a second consecutive two-year term.

Before joining the court, Muñiz held a series of legal and government positions. He clerked for Judge Thomas A. Flannery of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1997. He also clerked for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, according to the governor's appointment announcement.

He served as a civil rights analyst at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1991 to 1994. He later worked as deputy general counsel in the office of Gov. Jeb Bush from 2001 to 2003. He then served as general counsel at the Florida Department of Financial Services from 2005 to 2006, according to the governor's office.

Muñiz served as policy director at the Republican Party of Florida from 2006 to 2007. He then became deputy chief of staff and counsel to Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio from 2007 to 2009.

He served as deputy attorney general and chief of staff under Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi from 2011 to 2014, according to the governor's appointment announcement.

Muñiz also practiced law at Hogan & Hartson and Gray Robinson, P.A., according to The Florida Bar. He was a senior vice president at McGuireWoods Consulting from 2014 to 2018 and served as general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education before his appointment to the court.

On Sept. 9, 2020, President Donald Trump included Muñiz on a list of potential nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Notable rulings

In April 2024, Muñiz agreed with the majority in a ruling that upheld a 15-week abortion ban. That decision allowed Florida's six-week abortion ban to take effect, according to the Florida Phoenix.

In 2025, Muñiz wrote the majority opinion upholding a reconfigured congressional map championed by DeSantis that, according to the Florida Phoenix, erased Black representation in North Florida.

The Wesley Chapel Record did not receive issue-position responses from this candidate. This profile will be updated if responses become available.