On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, Miami Judge Bronwyn Miller filed an omnibus motion seeking dismissal of formal disciplinary charges brought against her by a state oversight panel. The charges stem from text messages exchanged between Miller and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, with the panel suggesting the communications raised concerns about Miller’s impartiality.
Miller, who currently serves on Miami’s Third District Court of Appeal and previously worked as a prosecutor, is accused of attempting to coerce Fernandez Rundle through the texts. However, in the 69-page motion, Miller’s attorney, Warren Lindsey, argues that the texts are protected under the First Amendment and do not warrant disciplinary action. Lindsey contends that the messages were unrelated to any matter before Judge Miller, had no connection to her official duties, and addressed an issue of significant public concern.
The heart of the matter lies in the text messages Miller sent to Fernandez Rundle during the resentencing hearings of Corey Smith, a reputed leader of the John Doe gang. Smith had initially been sentenced to death for the murders of four people in Liberty City during the 1990s. Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson presided over Smith’s resentencing. Ultimately, prosecutors dropped the death penalty, and Smith received a 30-year sentence as part of a plea deal in February after Judge Wolfson removed two prosecutors from the case, citing prosecutorial misconduct. Smith’s defense team had accused the prosecutors of coaching witnesses and engaging in inappropriate communication with a convicted murderer via a recorded jail call regarding a difficult witness.
Miller, who had secured Smith’s original convictions and death sentence while working in Fernandez Rundle’s office, conveyed in the text messages that she was trying to safeguard her reputation, which she believed had been tarnished during the resentencing proceedings. The Miami Herald published these text messages in an online article on November 10, 2024. Subsequently, on November 13, Miller self-reported the communications to the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), which investigates allegations of judicial misconduct.
The JQC found probable cause that Miller had acted improperly. Their filing stated that her communications cast reasonable doubt on her capacity to act impartially as a judge, undermined her appearance of integrity and impartiality, demeaned the judicial office, interfered with her proper performance of judicial duties, could lead to her frequent disqualification, and appeared coercive.
The Florida Supreme Court will ultimately determine whether Miller will be sanctioned. Potential penalties range from a reprimand to removal from the bench.
Lindsey asserts that Miller did not attempt to corrupt the judicial process but rather sought to ensure justice was served by fully cooperating in the proceedings. He stated that she was committed to exposing false testimony and fabricated events asserted by Smith in his motion. He also emphasized that the messages were sent from Miller’s personal cellphone, intended to be private, and believed to be legally protected from public disclosure.
The motion argues that Miller communicated with Fernandez Rundle in her capacity as a former prosecutor, a current witness, a threat victim, and a concerned constituent, and that her unique knowledge was essential to preserving the integrity of the convictions. Miller also raised concerns about the potential danger posed by Smith’s release, citing her recollection as pivotal in dismantling fabricated allegations of past prosecutorial misconduct and resurrecting her historic safety fears.
In her response to the allegations, Miller denied attempting to influence Fernandez Rundle or initiating the exchanges. She claims the commission failed to account for communications initiated by Fernandez Rundle via phone and in person. The filing asserts that Miller did not assert physical, moral, or economic force or threats, and that expressing a view and participating in a free flow of information is not coercive.
Miller’s motion also addresses allegations that she disparaged Judge Wolfson, stating that she merely expressed concern that Wolfson prematurely developed an opinion on the merits of the Smith case. Additionally, Miller clarified that her comments regarding defense attorneys were not intended to denigrate them but to highlight the heightened ethical standards to which prosecutors are held.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
