Broward Circuit Judge John Contini abruptly resigns
Broward Circuit Judge John Patrick Contini resigned Friday, becoming the county’s sixth sitting judge to leave office in 2018 before the end of his term.
His resignation took effect at 5 p.m. Friday.
Continiwas first elected in2014andwas assigned to the criminal court, where he quickly found himself clashing with the Broward State Attorney’s Office over allegations that he was playing favorites with defense lawyers, offering one advice on seeking leniency for clients.
The disagreement escalated to a Judicial Qualifications Commission complaint, a voluntary transfer to the family division, and a public reprimand from the Supreme Court last February.
In testimony before a JQC panel, Contini admitted to making a “rookie mistake” and said he underestimated the challenge of transitioning from an advocate to a judge. “Thankfully, I've learned the hard way from this costly lesson,” Contini said after the reprimand.
The JQC agreed that Contini deserved to remain in office and praised the judge for accepting responsibility for his error in judgment.
Contini is the sixth judge in Broward to leave office this year. Seven judges are due to retire when their terms expire at the end of the year.
Contini declined to comment Friday. rolmeda@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4457 or Twitter @SSCourts and @rolmeda