13 Broward judges leaving bench in 2018; 2 resign under pressure

Six judges in Broward County announced their departures from the bench in the first half of 2018, and seven more have indicated that they plan to retire at the end of the year.

The latest resignation came Friday, with Broward Circuit Judge John Patrick Contini calling it quits after 3 ½ years on the bench.

The six retirements and resignations give Gov. Rick Scott an opportunity to fill more seats in the Broward courthouse in his last year in office. The governor’s appointments do not have to be approved by the legislature, but the judges do eventually answer to the public when they face election.

Only once in recent years has the governor been asked to fill this many vacancies in Broward County. In 2016, he filled six positions. That was the year after three judges were compelled to resign after substance abuse scandals — two drove under the influence of alcohol or prescription medication and one showed up drunk on the bench. Another judge was removed from office for misconduct that preceded her tenure on the bench by a decade.

Earlier this year, Scott appointed Tarlika Navarro to replace Circuit Judge Alfred Horowitz, who retired at the end of 2017.

Under Florida law, judges are required to retire at the age of 70, though they are allowed to remain on the bench if they have less than half a term remaining before the seat comes up for election. Michael Gates, whose retirement is effective July 31, is turning 70

“I strove to be the judge that, when I was a lawyer, I wanted to appear in front of.” Lisa Porter, retired judge

with more than half of his term remaining.

All but one of the dozen departing judges indicate in their official paperwork that they are retiring, though that number includes one, Circuit Judge Merrilee Ehrlich, who left under public pressure after video of her treatment of a frail defendant went viral on the internet.

Ehlrich had originally planned to retire on June 30 but moved it up to April 23 after the video went public.

The only one to formally resign without retiring was County Judge Claudia Robinson, who was in the middle of her first term when the Judicial Qualifications Commission investigated her for funneling work to a campaign adviser. Robinson reached an agreement to serve a 30-day suspension, but after the commission re-opened the case to look into other allegations, Robinson resigned in February.

She was replaced June 29 when the governor appointed General Magistrate Phoebee R. Francois to the seat.

Dealing with the Ehrlich and Robinson vacancies was a shortterm challenge, said Broward Chief Administrative Judge Jack Tuter.

“There were at the onset some delays, but we now have all the dockets covered,” he said. The others — Lisa Porter, Gates and Arlene Backman — gave Tuter enough notice to reassign their cases with minimal disruption, though a handful of cases are likely to see some delay for practical reasons.

Porter was due to preside over the second retrial of Pablo Ibar, accused of a 1994 triple murder in Miramar that sent him to death row for 15 years before his conviction was overturned in 2016. The case has been reassigned to Broward Circuit Judge Dennis Bailey.

Gov. Scott is now looking into replacing Ehrlich, Porter and Gates, according to the state’s website. The process of replacing Backman, who formally announced her retirement earlier in June, also is underway.

“All in all it has been a bit of a shuffle, but between senior and retired judges helping and other judges taking on additional caseloads, we have been able to cover everything on a temporary basis,” Tuter said. “We hope to have all our new judges on board by the fall.”

Porter, 55, said she decided to retire after more than 30 years working for the state in various capacities. She’s been a judge since 2008. Before that she was a statewide prosecutor.

“I strove to be the judge that, when I was a lawyer, I wanted to appear in front of,” Porter said. She left her future prospects open but announced no plans for a next step in her career.

Judges Paul Backman (Arlene Backman’s husband), Geoffrey Cohen, Jane Fishman, Ilona Holmes, Mark Speiser, Peter Weinstein and Sharon Zeller have all announced they will leave the job when their terms expire at the end of 2018. Their successors will be chosen by voters in the August primary and, if necessary, the November general election.