TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  In a move that drew praise from conservatives, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday named to the State Supreme Court a former congressman who played a major role in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

The appointee, Charles T. Canady, 54, spent eight years in Congress before being named an appeals court judge in 2002 by Gov. Jeb Bush.

While in Congress, Mr. Canady was one of the House managers who handled the impeachment case against Mr. Clinton.

“I have tremendous confidence in him,” said Mr. Crist, a Republican, who called Mr. Canady a “faithful servant in the truest sense of the word.”