On Thursday, May 7, 2026, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Broward County Judge Woody Robert Clermont faced a public reprimand from the Florida Supreme Court on the morning of May 6, 2026, for judicial misconduct.
The reprimand stems from an incident on April 11, 2025, where Clermont appeared in another judge’s courtroom as legal counsel for a friend facing domestic violence accusations.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), responsible for policing judicial misconduct, found that Clermont’s actions violated rules prohibiting judges from acting as counsel and using their position to influence cases in which they are not involved.
Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, Carlos Muniz, stated that Clermont’s behavior was a “remarkable lapse in judgment” that risked undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
Muniz noted that while there was no evidence that the presiding judge or prosecutor was influenced by Clermont’s judicial status, they were both aware of it.
Clermont, elected in 2024, was not allowed to speak during the reprimand.
Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
