Controversial judge moves up her retirement

Broward Circuit Judge Merrilee Ehrlich took the bench for the first time at the beginning of 2009 and quickly decided to distinguish herself by adding a white, lace accent to her black robe, to give justice “a softer edge.”

That softer edge was nowhere in sight on April 15, when Ehrlich was videotaped ripping into defendants and attorneys during her weekend rotation on Broward’s first appearance court, reducing one defendant to tears and berating another who complained about health problems.

Her contentious interaction with Sandra Twiggs — a frail-59-year-old in a wheelchair, who was having trouble breathing during her appearance — sparked an outcry that forced Ehrlich to retire on Monday, two months

earlier than she had planned.

Ehrich’s demeanor wasn’t out of character, according to attorneys who have appeared before her in the past.

“I had seen her act the same and worse toward children in juvenile delinquency cases,” said Allari Dominguez, a former assistant public defender. “She was more concerned with her courtroom being pin-drop quiet than the issues that came before her.”

In 2012, the Public Defender’s Office moved to have Ehrlich disqualified from juvenile burglary cases after she made a blanket statement about not accepting the terms of future plea deals.

“It wasn’t fair to our clients,” said Dominguez, who was assigned to Ehrlich’s division at the time.

Ehrlich was later moved to family court, where she oversaw contentious divorce cases and other civil proceedings. Information about the exact timing and reasons for the move were not available Monday, but in an unpublished interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel from last year she said she served four years in juvenile court.

“Although I loved it, it was taking up all my time with all my extra projects and going to schools and lecturing… I realized I needed more balance, and mentally sometimes you need a change. I could serve the same purpose from a different vantage point if I got to the parents — perhaps I could help the children before they became delinquent.”

Litigants who appeared before her in family court described her as short-tempered and unwilling to listen.

“She looked at me and said, ‘That’s your problem,’” said Holly Ward, who said she tried to complain to Ehrlich about how her divorce case was being handled last year.

Ehrlich declined to comment for this article Monday. “Not today, thank you,” she said.

Her early days on the bench demonstrated a willingness to push boundaries and take a different approach to a judge’s duties. “I’m willing to try new things,” she said during the campaign.

Juvenile court was her first assignment. In 2011, she invited media to her courtroom to cover a poetry reading — defendants were given community service credit for expressing their situations in verse.

At the end of the session, she took off her robe to reveal a hooded sweatshirt underneath. She put the hood over her head and began rapping about the dangers of delinquency. “Good-bye hope, good-bye future,” she said. “Hello, prison. No mall, no friends, no cell phones, no pizza. No friends, no family, no past or future. Choice, choice, choice.”

The following year she held an event introducing juvenile defendants to injured war veterans. Her goal, she said, was to teach the youngsters to be grateful for their advantages and not waste them on crime.

Ehrlich is a New Yorker who graduated from Nova University Law School in 1979 and set up a private criminal defense practice in 1982. Juvenile justice became the focus of her practice over the years, although she handled other kinds of cases that would later come in handy when she was moved to oversee family court.

In 1985 she married Norm Price, an elected city commissioner from Pembroke Park. They divorced amicably in 1998, he said Monday.

The bond court video that cost Ehrlich her job stunned her exhusband. “I was shocked when I saw it,” he said. “I was really shocked. I never saw her explode like that before. She was patient and she was kind.”

When Ehrlich ran for state attorney general in 2006, Price supported her. He helped her again when she ran for judge in 2008 and won.

Ehrlich’s career on the bench was winding down earlier this month. On April 10, she submitted her resignation to the governor, effective June 30.

Five days later she served a rotation on first appearance court that would lead to the abrupt end of her tenure.

The judge who playfully rapped for juvenile defendants and added a softer touch to her robes was gone, replaced by one who demanded decorum at the top of her voice and shouted over defendants who tried to explain themselves to the court.

Ehrlich was seen shouting at Twiggs who was complaining about her symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ehrlich chastised the woman for asking for her breathing treatment and ordered her to get someone to carry her to legal appointments after her release.

Twiggs had been arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge following an argument with her daughter at her Lauderhill home. Twiggs died three days after her appearance before the judge.

The Public Defender’s Office once again criticized Ehrlich, calling her unfit for the bench. Broward Chief Administrative Judge Jack Tuter first announced that she had retired, then said on Saturday that he would tell Ehrlich not to come back to work.

Legally, the chief judge does not have the authority to fire an elected official; only the Florida Supreme Court can remove a sitting judge. But Ehrlich voluntarily resigned effective 5 p.m. Monday.

“It has been a great honor, privilege and pleasure to serve,” she wrote in an e-mail to Tuter.

During the 2008 campaign, she was asked in a South Florida Sun Sentinel questionnaire how she distinguished herself from her opponents.

“I treat everybody with respect, understanding and patience,” she answered.

Ehrlich