On Saturday, August 31, 2024, the Sun Sentinel reported that Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen is awaiting punishment from the Florida Supreme Court over allegations of misconduct.
The article detailed two incidents that occurred during Judge Cohen’s 2022 re-election campaign against opponent Kaysia Earley that were investigated by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC). It found that Judge Cohen improperly circulated unverified allegations about her opponent to a local democratic club in an attempt to damage her campaign. More troubling was an incident where Judge Cohen sent a fake letter that appeared to be from the Internal Revenue Service to a church that supported Ms. Earley in an effort to retaliate against the group for their endorsement.
The JQC report stated that Judge Cohen’s actions violated judicial conduct rules aimed at preventing negative campaigning and preserving the integrity of the courts. While Judge Cohen cooperated with investigators and expressed regret, the JQC recommended she receive a public reprimand for her misconduct. However, the Sun Sentinel argued this was too light a penalty given her past behavior on the bench.
The article referenced prior complaints against Judge Cohen for lacking proper judicial temperament. Eyewitnesses claimed she called a public defender a “little twit” in court, and in another case referred to a defendant as an “idiot.” The Sun Sentinel also noted they did not endorse her 2022 re-election bid due to concerns about her fitness to serve. Despite these issues, Judge Cohen narrowly won re-election against Ms. Earley by just 317 votes out of over 230,000 cast.
In light of Judge Cohen’s pattern of problematic conduct, the Sun Sentinel contended the Supreme Court should consider a suspension in addition to a fine. Such a punishment would force her to reflect on restoring public trust in her ability to serve impartially on the bench.
Source: Sun Sentinel
