Judicial misconduct charges dropped against Gary Farmer

After a year’s worth of trouble, Gary Farmer appears to finally be in the clear, albeit without his elected job on the bench.

The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC^[1]) has dismissed misconduct charges against the former Broward Circuit Judge after he resigned^[2] last month and agreed to permanently step away from judicial service.

In a Thursday notice^[3] to the Florida Supreme Court^[4], JQC General Counsel Alexander Williams wrote that the Commission was voluntarily ending its case.

Williams explained that the closure was due to Farmer leaving the bench on Aug. 15 and pledging not to hold judicial office or seek senior Judge status in the future.

The move closes one of Florida’s most high-profile judicial discipline cases in recent years.

Farmer, a one-time Senate Democratic Leader who won election to the Broward bench in 2022, became the subject of a JQC inquiry in 2024 following complaints of inappropriate conduct and comments from the bench.

He was reassigned^[5] from the criminal division to the county’s civil court in late September 2024. This past April, the commission’s Investigative Panel deemed him “unfit to serve^[6],” citing sexually charged remarks, flippant behavior in criminal cases and repeated failures to follow basic legal standards.

In May, he requested a trial^[7] over the accusations and asked to remain on the bench during the proceedings. His legal team argued the charges were exaggerated and his comments were mischaracterized or taken out of context.

The Florida Supreme Court instead suspended him^[8] without pay^[9] while the case proceeded.

The JQC was preparing for a final hearing when Farmer abruptly resigned, submitting his letter to Chief Administrative Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips and effectively ending his judicial career.

“Through his extensive misconduct, occurring over a lengthy period of time, Judge Farmer has damaged the public’s perception of the judiciary,” the JQC wrote in an earlier filing.

Allegations against Farmer included multiple instances of making sexually themed jokes in open court — such as warning a defendant not to impregnate his lawyer, referencing ejaculate and reciting homoerotic wordplay^[10] from an old TV sketch.

He was also accused of prejudging cases, dismissing one criminal prosecution inappropriately and conducting a makeshift competency evaluation without following required procedures.

His attendance record drew scrutiny as well, with the JQC alleging dozens of unexplained absences in 2023 and 2024.

Farmer did not deny that he made crude comments but insisted they were “dad jokes” intended to lighten tense proceedings. His legal team argued the charges were exaggerated, that many remarks were taken out of context and noted the complaints largely came from prosecutors rather than defense attorneys or litigants.

Farmer’s legal and political career has been marked by controversy. He served in the Senate from 2016 to 2022 and briefly led his party in the upper chamber before colleagues voted him out^[11] of the position in 2021.

He drew criticism^[12] then for remarks suggesting his successor, Lauren Book, was unfit for leadership because she had young children. He later apologized for his comments^[13].

The JQC’s dismissal of charges ends the disciplinary case but does so due to Farmer’s permanent departure from judicial office rather than a determination on the merits. He is now barred from returning to the bench, whether as an elected Judge or senior Judge filling temporary assignments.

The Florida Supreme Court is now expected to formally close the matter.

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