MEDIA ARTICLE: No end to bad behavior on Broward’s bench | Editorial (Sun Sentinel, 9-3-25)

No end to bad behavior on Broward’s bench | Editorial

17th Judicial Circuit

Broward County Judge Woody Clermont, top left, was on the bench Wednesday (Sept. 3, 2025) and held a Zoom hearing in a misdemeanor case from his courtroom in Hollywood. The Sun Sentinel was observing.

By Sun Sentinel Editorial Board | Sun Sentinel

PUBLISHED: September 3, 2025 at 3:08 PM EDT

Welcome to the club, Judge Woody Clermont.

This club is growing — unfortunately. It’s made up of judges in Broward County whose actions violate the Code of Judicial Conduct, which inevitably leads to a formal reprimand — or worse — from the Florida Supreme Court.

It also creates a made-to-order political issue in the next election.

Membership in Broward’s not-so-exclusive club has more consequences. It further tarnishes the credibility of the Broward courts, where most judges are ethical and responsible.

Clermont, 55, of Davie, was elected to the county bench in 2024. He defeated two opponents, Samuel Ford Stark and Alejandro “Alex” Arreaza.

Stark nearly won the seat in the primary with 49.5%, but in a three-way judicial race, he needed a 50% majority, so the outcome was decided in a November runoff. (Stark was endorsed twice by the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board.)

Clermont took office in January. By April, he was in trouble.

Judicial impropriety

The Judicial Qualifications Commission issued findings last week that Clermont violated four provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct. He appeared in court before another judge as a character witness on behalf of a friend — a woman charged with domestic violence.

“While present at his friend’s first appearance,” the JQC wrote, “Judge Clermont acted as an attorney by advocating on behalf of the defendant and created the appearance of impropriety by providing character testimony, lending the prestige of his judicial office to advance the private interests of another.”

The JQC found that he allowed a personal relationship to affect his judgment and that he practiced law — which judges are not allowed to do. To his credit, Clermont took his colleagues’ advice and self-reported his misconduct to the JQC, which the commission cited in its findings.

“The Commission believes the appearance of impropriety in this case is strong,” the report said. “So strong, in fact, that the presiding judge at the first appearance immediately reported the incident to other judges, who, in turn informed Judge Clermont that he should report himself to the Commission, which he did.”

After self-reporting and admitting wrongdoing, Clermont and the JQC reached a stipulation, under which the JQC recommends a reprimand, the mildest form of punishment.

But before Clermont won a judgeship, he practiced law for decades. He underwent extensive training at a state Judicial College in January to ensure that he followed the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Why didn’t he know his behavior was way out of line?

Case after case

Clermont is the fifth Broward judge to face sanctions from the Florida Supreme Court in the past year.

Suspensions of 10 days each were meted out to Circuit Judge Stefanie Moon and County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen for misconduct. Moon also was fined.

Circuit Judge Gary Farmer resigned from the bench after the court suspended him indefinitely for “grossly inappropriate” courtroom conduct.

Punishment is pending for County Judge Lauren Peffer, also elected last fall, in a bizarre case. She promoted an 18-minute deepfake recording that purported to involve two state Supreme Court justices in which the topics included the supposed sex habits of another judge.

Rumors persist that a sixth Broward judge is being pursued by the JQC, whose investigations are confidential until charges are filed in Tallahassee.

Be tough, Justices

A reprimand is a slap on the wrist, and everyone knows it. 

The Editorial Board suggests the Supreme Court set aside the stipulation and consider a stronger punishment, such as a brief suspension without pay, for Clermont.

Supreme Court justices have rejected stipulations in the past. In this case, it would send an unmistakable message that enough is enough on Broward’s bench.

Woody Clermont will maintain his judgeship and his prestigious black robe and his $189,755-a-year salary.

But as these misconduct cases keep piling up, how much longer will the people of Broward maintain respect for the courts?

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. Contact us by email: letters@sun-sentinel.com.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/09/03/no-end-to-bad-behavior-on-browards-bench-editorial/

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MEDIA ARTICLE: Broward Judge Mardi Levey Cohen receives public reprimand, 10-day suspension (Broward.us, 6-3-25)

 

Broward Judge Mardi Levey Cohen receives public reprimand, 10-day suspension

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday publicly reprimanded Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen after an investigation into allegations that she acted improperly during a 2022 re-election campaign.

Levey Cohen, who also received a 10-day suspension, appeared before justices for the reprimand.

The Supreme Court last month approved an agreement, known as a stipulation, reached by Levey Cohen and the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates judicial conduct.

A filing at the Supreme Court said Levey Cohen was accused, in part, of forwarding an email about her election opponent to a representative of the Wynmoor Condominium Democratic Club “without verifying the accuracy of the claims.”

The information, for example, included an accusation that Levey Cohen’s opponent obtained money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic when she did not qualify.

Also, a May 8 Supreme Court order said Levey Cohen filed an Internal Revenue Service complaint challenging the tax-exempt status of a church where her opponent campaigned.

The order said Levey Cohen sent a copy of the complaint to the church with a false return address, “suggesting that the correspondence was from the IRS itself.”

Chief Justice Carlos Muniz said during Tuesday’s reprimand that misconduct poses a risk to public confidence in the judiciary.

“Any unethical behavior by a judge — including in a campaign setting — puts that trust at risk,” Muniz said.

https://broward.us/2025/06/03/broward-judge-mardi-levey-cohen-receives-public-reprimand-10-day-suspension/

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MEDIA ARTICLE: Broward judges face discipline amid misconduct scandals (The SouthFL 100, 5-21-25)

 

Broward

Broward judges face discipline amid misconduct scandals

21 May 2025

Three judges in Broward County are in hot water due to their questionable behavior on and off the bench.

The Florida Supreme Court recently suspended Judge Gary Farmer ahead of a trial over his conduct in court, which included sexual comments and other actions the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) said diminished public confidence in the judiciary.

The JQC also filed charges against Lauren Peffer, whom it accused of promoting misinformation — including fake audio of numerous fellow judges — while campaigning last year.

Meanwhile, Judge Mardi Levey Cohen will be suspended and reprimanded for spreading dubious information during the 2022 election cycle.

– Jesse Scheckner, Florida Politics

https://thesouthfl100.com/2025/05/21/broward-judges-face-discipline-amid-misconduct-scandals/

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MEDIA ARTICLE: Broward’s new chief judge faces first big test: her colleagues’ misconduct (Sun Sentinel, 5-14-25)

 Broward’s new chief judge faces first big test: her colleagues’ misconduct

“It’s an embarrassment to the circuit and to all the judges who have been working so hard to restore the reputation of the circuit," Chief Administrative Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips said Wednesday of the disciplinary cases faced by Broward judges. Phillips is seen in her chambers at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale in February this year. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

By Rafael Olmeda | rolmeda@sunsentinel.com | South Florida Sun Sentinel

PUBLISHED: May 14, 2025 at 6:58 PM EDT | UPDATED: May 14, 2025 at 7:19 PM EDT

She’s supposed to be the new face of the justice system in Broward County, but Chief Administrative Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips finds herself forced into the background of an all-too-familiar portrait of a judiciary attracting unwanted attention.

Through the decades, this was the county that gave us the judge who sobbed while issuing a ruling in the Anna Nicole Smith case, the judge who was found half-naked at a judicial conference, and the judges, plural, who had faced DUI charges.

But most of those cases were spaced out over months, if not years. Phillips, who ascended to the role of chief judge on May 1, has had to contend with disciplinary action against four of the judges under her oversight in just the last two weeks.

“It’s an embarrassment,” she said Wednesday during an interview in her office, “to the circuit and to all the judges who have been working so hard to restore the reputation of the circuit. It feels like we took 10 steps forward only to take 12 steps back.”

Broward County judges, from left, are Mardi Levey Cohen, Stefanie Moon, Gary Farmer and Lauren Peffer. (Courtesy)

There’s the case against Circuit Judge Gary Farmer, whose off-color statements and chronic absenteeism led the Florida Supreme Court to issue an indefinite suspension without pay Wednesday even before his full case and defense had been heard.

There was the case against Circuit Judge Stefanie Moon, who was sitting on the bench when she questioned a lawyer about his failure to return a campaign-related phone call last spring.

There was Circuit Judge Mardi Levey Cohen, who admitted she spread false information about her opponent during her 2022 reelection campaign because she failed to confirm the details.

Finally, Broward County Judge Lauren Peffer found herself under fire for promoting a book during her campaign that disparaged the judges serving in the circuit serving the Orlando area. 

She had not read the self-published book, and when pressed about why she thought it was worth mentioning, she disseminated a deepfake recording that, had it been genuine, would have implicated the chief judge of the Florida Supreme Court and other jurists in blatant acts of misconduct.

“I am very sad about the situation,” said Phillips, who had hoped to spend her first weeks on the job focused on preparing a budget and asking the Broward County Commission for adequate funding. “But we will work harder and we will do better.”

Broward has the second-highest number of judges in the state, with only Miami-Dade County having more. 

It’s no surprise that Broward would have a higher-than-average number of judicial misconduct cases, Phillips said. But that doesn’t make the recent spate any more acceptable.

“I would like zero tolerance,” she said. “I would like zero mishaps. I would like zero mistakes.”

Achieving that will be a challenge. 

Judges are required to go to a statewide “judicial college” when they first take the job. 

Part of the training involves ethics and avoiding misconduct. 

That might not have helped Peffer, whose alleged misconduct took place before she became a judge, but it should have given pause to the other three Broward judges.

“They should have known better,” said Phillips.

In addition to the training, each new judge is assigned a mentor to help navigate the first year or two in office.

Phillips promised to aggressively monitor the amount of time judges spend at work. 

“I understand that there’s no time clock,” she said. But some judges have taken advantage of a lack of supervision to effectively turn their jobs into part-time work. “That is over,” she said.

The work of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates complaints against judges, remains secret until it files formal charges. 

By then the misconduct could be old news in the courthouse. 

But Phillips said she sees it as part of her role to address the issues before they become public.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8853254916147834478/1562800564975394529

“Sometimes we don’t even find out about these issues until it’s too late,” she said. “But we’ll be taking these violations very seriously.”

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net/@rafael.olmeda.

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