Three Broward County judges are now facing disciplinary action from the Florida Supreme Court, each for conduct ranging from inappropriate remarks on the bench to questionable campaign behavior. The developments mark an unusual convergence of judicial misconduct cases within one of the state’s busiest circuits.
The most recent action came Thursday, when the Supreme Court ordered the immediate suspension without pay of Circuit Judge Gary Farmer Jr. while formal proceedings continue. Farmer, a former state senator elected to the bench in 2022, is accused of making a string of inappropriate comments from the bench, which the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) deemed “undignified” and “degrading.”
Among the cited remarks: telling a male defendant with children by three different women to “wear a condom at all times,” joking that he shouldn’t impregnate his court-appointed female attorney, and making comments referencing gay sex and a female deputy’s appearance, calling her “girl.”
Farmer has acknowledged the remarks as “bad jokes,” but the JQC says they fall far short of judicial standards. In recommending the indefinite suspension, the Commission said Farmer’s comments undermined public confidence in the judiciary. Farmer responded this week, saying he has learned his lesson and that an immediate suspension is excessive.
Meanwhile, two other Broward judges are also facing penalties.
County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen has been suspended for 10 days without pay and will be publicly reprimanded after the court found she made false accusations against her 2022 election opponent and reported a church that hosted her opponent to the IRS in an apparent attempt to challenge its tax-exempt status. The court said she acted without evidence.
Also accepting a 10-day suspension and public reprimand is Circuit Judge Stefanie Moon. As previously reported by NBC6 Investigates, Moon questioned a lawyer in court about why he didn’t respond to her request for campaign assistance. She also admitted to making political donations while serving as a judge and improperly contacting a future witness in a pending case.
Attempts to reach Farmer, Levey Cohen, and Moon for comment were unsuccessful.
While the disciplinary spotlight on three judges in the same circuit is rare, Broward is home to more than 90 judges—roughly 10% of Florida’s total and the highest number outside of Miami-Dade.
