Broward Circuit Judge Stefanie Moon stood before the Florida Supreme Court Thursday for a public reprimand over her misconduct on the bench, stoically enduring an embarrassing recitation of “unacceptable” behavior she committed last year.
The Supreme Court reprimand closes out the disciplinary case for Moon, who was accused of asking an attorney from the bench why he had not returned a fundraising call, engaging in ex-parte communication with a witness in a case where a woman was seeking a restraining order against an alleged stalker, and making partisan political contributions.
“Your behavior in these instances is unacceptable,” said Carlos Muniz, chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court. “You have discredited yourself, and your thoughtless actions have risked undermining public confidence in the judiciary as a whole. We hope never to see you again under circumstances like this. Our duty to the public and to the judicial branch will not allow us to tolerate any further misconduct by you.”
Moon, who did not dispute the allegations before the Judicial Qualifications Commission, had already served a 10-day suspension and paid a $2,115 fine.
She did not speak during her appearance before the Supreme Court, which lasted under three minutes.
Moon’s troubles began in February 2024 when she was in the middle of her first re-election campaign. Moon, wearing her robe and sitting behind the bench, asked a lawyer why he had not returned her recent phone call. While she did not mention it from the bench, that phone call was asking the lawyer to serve on her campaign.
The lawyer, a supporter of Moon’s opponent, said at the time he felt pressured by being questioned about the campaign from the bench. Moon later admitted to the Judicial Qualifications Commission that her conduct was inappropriate. Muniz called it “inherently coercive.”
Moon was one of five Broward judges facing disciplinary action by the Judicial Qualifications Commission just this year.
The others are: Woody Clermont, a county court judge accused of appearing as counsel for a friend in a domestic violence case; Circuit Judge Gary Farmer, who resigned rather than face disciplinary action over inappropriate comments made from the bench; Lauren Peffer, a county court judge accused of spreading misinformation about other judges and two Florida Supreme Court justices during her campaign; and Mardi Levey Cohen, a circuit judge who was reprimanded in June for misconduct during her 2022 campaign.