The Florida Supreme Court has approved a 10-day suspension without pay and a public reprimand for Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen following an investigation into allegations of improper conduct during her 2022 re-election campaign.
The unanimous decision, issued Thursday, also requires Judge Levey Cohen to appear before the court for a public reprimand, although no date was specified in the order. The suspension and reprimand come after an agreement, known as a stipulation, was reached between Levey Cohen and the state Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), which investigates judicial conduct.
According to the Supreme Court filing, Judge Levey Cohen was accused of forwarding an email about her election opponent to a representative of the Wynmoor Condominium Democratic Club without verifying the accuracy of the claims. The email included allegations that Levey Cohen’s opponent had improperly obtained federal Paycheck Protection Program funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the email, the Supreme Court order revealed that Levey Cohen filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), challenging the tax-exempt status of a church where her opponent campaigned. She allegedly sent a copy of the complaint to the church, using a false return address, which made it appear as if the letter had been sent by the IRS.
In a separate matter, the Florida Supreme Court last week also approved disciplinary action against Broward County Circuit Judge Stefanie Moon. Moon was found to have made improper political contributions, including donations to committees supporting former Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, as well as to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising group.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission initially recommended a public reprimand for Moon and a fine of $2,115, the amount of her political contributions. However, the Supreme Court rejected this lesser punishment, instead imposing a 10-day suspension without pay, along with the reprimand and the fine.
Moon was also accused of violating judicial ethics by reminding an attorney in court about a phone call related to her re-election campaign and improperly contacting a therapist of a man involved in a case where his mental health was a concern.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission is responsible for making recommendations to the Supreme Court regarding judicial discipline, though the court has final authority on such matters.
