Partisan Supreme Court Decisions In Florida

In In re Angel, 867 So. 2d 379, 382 (Fla. 2004), the Court concluded that Judge Angel's numerous, improper partisan campaign activities warranted a public reprimand. This Court distinguished Judge Angel's case from more "egregious cases, where a judge's misconduct included implications that he or she would make partisan decisions on the bench." 867 So. 2d at 383. This Court noted that in cases where the judge's impartiality was compromised, the "Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) has recommended a substantial fine in addition to a public reprimand and even removal." Id. (citing In re Kinsey, 842 So. 2d 77, 88 (Fla. 2003) (approving recommendation of a public reprimand, a $ 50,000 fine, and costs for campaign misconduct that included "implicit pledges that if elected to office, Judge Kinsey would help law enforcement" and victims of crime); In re McMillan, 797 So. 2d 560, 572 (Fla. 2001) (approving recommendation that Judge McMillan be removed from office due to a pattern of misconduct including promises that he would rule in a prosecution-friendly manner if elected)).