Carlos Muñiz

Carlos Muñiz On Education

Trump Nominated Muñiz To Serve As General Counsel For The Department Of Education

Trump Nominated Muñiz To Serve As General Counsel To Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “President Donald Trump has announced his intent to nominate Muniz to serve as general counsel to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Senate would then consider the nomination of the Republican lawyer.” [Orlando Sentinel, 4/11/17]

Muñiz Served As General Counsel For The Department Of Education. According to the Department of Education’s Office of the General Counsel, “Carlos G. Muñiz serves as general counsel for the Department of Education, where he leads the Office of the General Counsel, and provides legal and policy advice to the secretary of education and to other senior Department officials.” [Department of Education, Office of the General Counsel, 11/15/18]

Muñiz Provided Consulting Services To Career Education Corporation, Which Was Accused Of Deceptive Recruiting Practices And Misleading Students

Muñiz Provided Consulting Services To Career Education Corporation. According to Politico, “In addition, Trump’s pick to be the Education Department’s general counsel, Carlos Muñiz, is a lawyer who worked at the firm McGuireWoods, where he provided ‘consulting services’ to Career Education Corp . , according to his financial disclosure statement. The for-profit education company is under multiple state investigations.” [Politico, 8/31/17]

Career Education Corporation Was Accused Of Deceptive Recruiting Practices And Misleading Students Regarding The Potential Costs Of Programs

Career Education Corporation Was Accused Of Deceptive Recruiting Practices. According to NPR, “A for-profit higher education company will no longer collect nearly a half-billion dollars in student debt, now that the firm has reached settlements with 48 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 180,000 students who took classes offered at Career Education Corp.’s dozens of campuses over the past 30 years won’t have to repay loans they took out with the company. The total amount of the debt is $493 million, while the average amount per student nationally is $2,750. The settlements, announced Thursday, describe a pattern of deception that misled prospective students about the potential cost of enrolling in CEC’s programs and their job prospects after graduation, among other issues. […] But the investigation launched by the state attorneys general in 2014 centered not on the quality of the education, but instead on how it was promoted. The states say CEC used ‘emotionally charged language emphasizing the pain in prospective students’ lives to pressure them into enrolling,’ misrepresented how school credits could be transferred to other schools and told admissions counselors to withhold important information about tuition costs.” [NPR, 1/3/19]

NPR: Career Education Corporation Was Accused Of Misleading “Prospective Students About The Potential Cost Of Enrolling In CEC’s Programs And Their Job Prospects After Graduation.” According to NPR, “A for-profit higher education company will no longer collect nearly a half-billion dollars in student debt, now that the firm has reached settlements with 48 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 180,000 students who took classes offered at Career Education Corp.’s dozens of campuses over the past 30 years won’t have to repay loans they took out with the company. The total amount of the debt is $493 million, while the average amount per student nationally is $2,750. The settlements, announced Thursday, describe a pattern of deception that misled prospective students about the potential cost of enrolling in CEC’s programs and their job prospects after graduation, among other issues.” [NPR, 1/3/19]

While Muñiz Worked At The Department Of Education, Investigations Into Career Education Corporation “Went Dark,” Per The New York Times

New York Times: While Muñiz Worked At The Department Of Education, Investigations Into Career Education Corporation “Went Dark.” According to the New York Times, “Members of a special team at the Education Department that had been investigating widespread abuses by for-profit colleges have been marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters, according to current and former employees. The unwinding of the team has effectively killed investigations into possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges where top hires of Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, had previously worked. […] In addition to DeVry, now known as Adtalem Global Education, investigations into Bridgepoint Education and Career Education Corporation, which also operate large for-profit colleges, went dark. Former employees of those institutions now work for Ms. DeVos as well, including Robert S. Eitel, her senior counselor, and Diane Auer Jones, a senior adviser on postsecondary education. Last month, Congress confirmed the appointment of a lawyer who provided consulting services to Career Education, Carlos G. Muñiz, as the department’s general counsel.” [New York Times, 5/13/18]

The Department Of Education Would Not Confirm Whether Muniz Had Recused Himself From Issues Involving Career Education Corporation 

The Department Of Education Would Not Confirm Whether Muniz Had Recused Himself From Issues Involving Career Education Corporation. According to the New York Times, “Ms. Jones, the senior adviser on postsecondary education, has not recused herself from matters involving Career Education, where she previously worked, according to a list of recusals the department provided. The department did not say whether Mr. Muñiz had recused himself from issues involving the company.” [New York Times, 5/13/18]

Muñiz Was Involved In The Florida Attorney General’s Decision Not To Bring Legal Action Against Trump University

Muñiz Was Involved In The Florida Attorney General’s Decision Not To Bring Legal Action Against Trump University. According to Politico, “Muñiz was also a top aide to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi when she declined to bring legal action against Trump University, the now-defunct real estate seminar program run by the president. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Muñiz was included in discussions of student complaints about Trump’s real estate seminars and helped defend Bondi to reporters on the issue.” [Politico, 8/31/17]

Muñiz Helped Direct The Florida Attorney General’s Public Defense Regarding Trump University. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Emails show Muniz did help direct Bondi’s public defense on the issue, including an October 2013 fact sheet distributed to reporters.” [Orlando Sentinel, 4/11/17]

Politico: “Muñiz Was Included In Discussions Of Student Complaints About Trump’s Real Estate Seminars”

Politico: “Muñiz Was Included In Discussions Of Student Complaints About Trump’s Real Estate Seminars.” According to Politico, “Muñiz was also a top aide to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi when she declined to bring legal action against Trump University, the now-defunct real estate seminar program run by the president. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Muñiz was included in discussions of student complaints about Trump’s real estate seminars and helped defend Bondi to reporters on the issue.” [Politico, 8/31/17]

Muñiz Was The Lead Attorney For Florida State University Against A Lawsuit Brought By A Student Who Accused The Football Team’s Quarterback Of Raping Her

Muñiz Was The Lead Attorney For Florida State University Against A Lawsuit Brought By A Student Who Accused The Football Team’s Quarterback Of Raping Her. According to the Associated Press, “Muniz, now in private practice, has also been the lead attorney defending Florida State University in a lawsuit by a former student who said the school failed to investigate after she said she was sexually assaulted by the star quarterback of the Seminoles’ 2013 national championship football team. The player was never charged with a crime by police in Tallahassee, and the state attorney’s office declined to pursue a criminal case against him.” [Associated Press, 4/11/17]

The Alleged Victim Said Florida State Failed To Investigate After The Alleged Assault

The Alleged Victim Said Florida State Failed To Investigate After The Alleged Assault. According to the Associated Press, “Muniz, now in private practice, has also been the lead attorney defending Florida State University in a lawsuit by a former student who said the school failed to investigate after she said she was sexually assaulted by the star quarterback of the Seminoles’ 2013 national championship football team. The player was never charged with a crime by police in Tallahassee, and the state attorney’s office declined to pursue a criminal case against him.” [Associated Press, 4/11/17] 

The Alleged Attacker Was Never Charged With A Crime

The Alleged Attacker Was Never Charged With A Crime. According to the Associated Press, “The player was never charged with a crime by police in Tallahassee, and the state attorney’s office declined to pursue a criminal case against him.” [Denver Post, 4/11/17]

Florida’s Attorney’s Office Did Not Pursue A Criminal Case Against The Alleged Attacker

Florida’s Attorney’s Office Did Not Pursue A Criminal Case Against The Alleged Attacker. According to the Associated Press, “The player was never charged with a crime by police in Tallahassee, and the state attorney’s office declined to pursue a criminal case against him.” [Denver Post, 4/11/17]

The Department Of Education’s Office Of Civil Rights Investigated The Incident

The Department Of Education’s Office Of Civil Rights Investigated The Incident. According to the Associated Press, “An investigation by the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights is still underway, presenting a potential conflict of interest if Muniz is confirmed.” [Denver Post, 4/11/17]

Florida State University Settled With The Former Student Who Alleged She Was Raped

Florida State University Settled With The Former Student Who Alleged She Was Raped. According to Inside Higher Ed, “Florida State University has settled with the former student who said she was raped by the university’s star quarterback in 2012. The university on Monday announced that it agreed to pay the student, Erica Kinsman, and her lawyers $950,000, as well as to commit to a five-year plan for sexual assault awareness, prevention and training programs.” [Inside Higher Ed, 1/25/16]

Carlos Muñiz On Abortion

Muñiz’s Florida Supreme Court Allowed Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban To Go Into Effect

Muñiz Was The Chief Justice Of The Florida Supreme Court. According to the Florida Bar, “The Florida Supreme Court has unanimously re-elected Carlos G. Muñiz for a second two-year term as chief justice. His new term begins July 1. Muñiz is Florida’s 57th chief justice since statehood.” [Florida Bar, 4/24/24]

The Florida Supreme Court – Including Muñiz As The Chief Justice – Ruled To Uphold Florida’s 15-Week Abortion. According to WQCS, “The Florida Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The court that was reshaped by former presidential candidate and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ruled 6-1 to uphold the state’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, meaning a ban on six weeks could soon take effect.” [WQCS, 4/1/24]

• The Ruling Allowed A Six-Week Abortion Ban To Go Into Effect. According to WQCS, “The Florida Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The court that was reshaped by former presidential candidate and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ruled 6-1 to uphold the state’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, meaning a ban on six weeks could soon take effect.” [WQCS, 4/1/24]

Muñiz Questioned Whether There Was A Privacy Right To Abortion After Roe v. Wade Was Overturned During A Hearing On Right To Privacy Amendment In Florida’s Constitution

Muñiz Questioned Whether The Florida Supreme Court Should Continue To Recognize A Privacy Right To Abortion After The Supreme Court’s “Eviscerated” Roe v. Wade. According to the Florida Phoenix, “Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz questioned Friday whether the Florida Supreme Court should continue to recognize a privacy right to abortion in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s repudiation last summer of Roe v. Wade, which left the states free to enact their own restrictions on the procedure.[…] Yet ‘the same entity’ — the U.S. Supreme Court — that found an implied privacy right under the U.S. Constitution ‘has told us that it was a mirage. They’ve eviscerated it,’ Muñiz continued. He referred to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. ‘Should it matter to us that the entire foundation of the asserted right here, essentially the [U.S.] Supreme Court which created the thing in the first place has now said that it was egregiously wrong from Day One? Should that matter to us?’” [Florida Phoenix, 9/8/23]

During A Hearing, Muñiz Called Fetuses “Human Beings”

During A Hearing, Muñiz Referred To Fetuses As “Human Beings.” According to the Florida Phoenix, “During oral arguments in Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida v. State of Florida, Muñiz also referred to fetuses as ‘human beings,’ suggesting sympathy to the state’s defense of HB 5, approved by the Legislature in June 2022 to limit access to abortion after 15 weeks’ gestation.” [Florida Phoenix, 9/8/23]

Muñiz Also Called Roe v. Wade An “Abomination” And “Semantically Absurd”

Muñiz Described Roe v. Wade As An “Abomination” And “Semantically Absurd” In Terms Of Privacy. According to the Florida Phoenix, “On Friday, the chief justice allowed himself to muse about the consensus in 1980. ‘Roe v. Wade may have been an abomination, it may have been semantically absurd to talk about that in terms of privacy. But for better or worse, I mean, that was part of our cultural kind of lexicon,’ he said to Whitaker.” [Florida Phoenix, 9/8/23]