On Monday, July 8, 2024, the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended that Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen receive a public reprimand for her actions during the 2022 reelection campaign.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Judge Mardi Levey Cohen,” with case numbers 2022-429, 2022-461, and 2022-502.
The Commission made this recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court after investigating Judge Cohen. According to records, during her campaign, Judge Cohen forwarded an email to a representative of the Wynmoor Condominium Democratic Club that contained potentially false or unverified information about her opponent.
The email alleged unsubstantiated claims, including an accusation that Judge Cohen’s opponent unlawfully received money from the Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic despite being ineligible. However, Judge Cohen did not take steps to confirm the validity of these claims before spreading them.
While political campaigns can involve heated exchanges, judges are held to a higher ethical standard given their role in impartial decision making. Spreading unverified negative information about an opponent can undermine trust in the fairness and integrity of the judicial system.
In their recommendation, the Commission found that Judge Cohen’s actions were inappropriate for a judge seeking reelection. Judge Cohen did not deny the Commission’s findings and agreed to accept the recommended public reprimand.
The case will now go before the Florida Supreme Court, which has the ultimate authority to decide whether to impose discipline on a judge.
Judge Cohen was elected on November 2, 2010, to replace Lee Jay Seidman on the Broward County Court, Group 26. She was elected to a new six-year term in 2016.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
