'You ever chopped cotton before?': Judge admonished for making racially insensitive remarks to Black defendant and being snarky with public defenders

A Florida justice is facing a nationalist reprimand aft helium made racially insensitive remarks erstwhile helium asked a Black antheral if helium ever "chopped fabric before."

The Judicial Qualifications Commission, which oversees discipline for judges successful the Sunshine State, recommended the punishment connected Friday for comments made by Orange County Judge John E. Jordan III past year.

According to the commission's findings, Jordan was presiding implicit a plea proceeding for a 33-year-old Black pistillate successful a felony artillery lawsuit successful July 2025. The authorities was asking Jordan to enforce 30 hours of assemblage service. Jordan asked the defendant's great-uncle if helium owned immoderate workplace land.

"All my family's farming," Jordan said, according to the commission. "They'd emotion maine retired there. You ever chopped fabric before? You cognize what that is? You instrumentality a hoe and you sound retired the weeds. That'll straighten you up existent speedy doing that stuff."

The committee said that Jordan's comments were interpreted arsenic "inappropriate, particularly successful airy of the historically demeaning stereotype associating Black radical with picking cotton." Jordan agreed with the committee that his remarks were "ill-considered" and said it was the archetypal clip helium utilized the word "chopping cotton" successful the courtroom.

"Judge Jordan insists that helium is not a racist, and does not marque rulings oregon decisions improperly based connected race, and the Commission has nary grounds that specified has occurred," the findings said. "If the Commission had specified evidence, past the Commission would beryllium making a acold antithetic proposal of acold much terrible sanctions, up to and including removal from office."

Jordan pointed to the information that Florida A&M University, a historically Black college, invited him to articulation the school's instrumentality advisory committee.

The "cotton" remark was not the lone happening that drew the commission's ire. In April 2025, Jordan was overseeing assemblage enactment for an aggravated artillery lawsuit erstwhile "unprofessionally scolded 2 nationalist defenders successful a mode that was not patient, dignified oregon courteous," the committee wrote.

Jordan was "seemingly annoyed" that the lawyers had not conferred with their lawsuit astir challenges to prospective jurors.

"How overmuch clip bash you need?" the justice asked. "Can I get you thing to eat? Something to drink?"

When the nationalist defenders complained they were being "unfairly treated and rushed," Jordan allegedly raised his dependable and told them to "shut up."

"That is rude," a nationalist defender stated.

"Shut up," Jordan responded, per the commission.

The lawyer held his ground: "No, that is precise rude," helium said.

But Jordan seemingly wasn't backing down.

"Shut up," Jordan allegedly repeated. "I'm not going to perceive to 2 radical arguing. I'll perceive to one. Okay?"

Jordan ended up calling a mistrial, saying "I'm not going to woody with pettiness similar this" and recused himself from the case, per the commission.

The justice has been connected the seat since 2005, per his biography page. The Florida Supreme Court volition manus down the punishment for Jordan based connected the commission's findings.