5 hours ago
2
Broward Circuit Judge Gary M. Farmer Jr. (17th Judicial Circuit of Florida).
A Florida justice said helium was trying to “lighten the tension” successful his courtroom, but the committee that oversees those who preside connected the seat successful the Sunshine State wasn’t laughing.
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission indefinitely suspended Broward Circuit Judge Gary M. Farmer Jr. for a bid of remarks that they said were “wholly inappropriate, undignified, oregon discourteous.”
Many of the comments occurred during felony transgression docket hearings successful August. In 1 instance, Farmer was overseeing a lawsuit wherever the litigant was expecting 3 children from 3 antithetic women.
“OK, you’ve been busy,” Farmer said. “You were conscionable shooting each implicit the place! That’s good, bash you cognize their names? First and last? Romantic are you? Don’t archer Susie astir Jane, don’t archer Jane astir Mary. God bless you, man. One’s enough.”
He aboriginal quipped: “I’m going to bid that you deterioration a condom astatine each times. For your ain good. OK?! Probation is going to check. No, I’m kidding. I’m kidding.”
When the suspect was appointed a pistillate attorney, Farmer joked, “Don’t get her pregnant.”
In different lawsuit with a suspect named Georgia, helium started singing a opus astir “Sweet Georgia.”
“You’re expected to accidental ‘peachy.’ How you doin’, Georgia? Peachy!” helium said.
Farmer besides “quoted extensively” from a Marlon Wayans “In Living Color” sketch, per the commission.
Even Farmer himself admitted helium was telling “exceptionally, exceptionally atrocious jokes.”
During a enslaved proceeding for a fishy charged with first-degree kidnapping, the defence lawyer joked: “I gotta archer you judge, successful the past of kidnappings, this would beryllium the archetypal clip idiosyncratic gets kidnapped and taken to a portion club.”
Farmer replied: “I was astir to say, I deliberation there’s a agelong database of husbands who person claimed precisely that successful the past. We’ve each been taken against our will.”
He besides made quips astir the covering lawyers appearing successful his tribunal wore.
“These jokes were said to lighten tension, trim accent for transgression defendants, and amusement a consciousness of humanity,” Farmer wrote successful his effect to the allegations. “They mostly are G-rated ‘Dad jokes’ that are corny but not offensive, and were not degrading to the solemnity of the proceedings.”
The committee did not springiness a timeline for Farmer’s suspension, conscionable saying it would past “pending disposition of this proceeding.”
Before being elected to the seat successful 2022, Farmer, a Democrat, served successful the Florida State Legislature.
English (US) ·