7 days ago
Broward Judge Mardi Levey Cohen receives public reprimand, 10-day suspension
The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday publicly reprimanded Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen after an investigation into allegations that she acted improperly during a 2022 re-election campaign.
Levey Cohen, who also received a 10-day suspension, appeared before justices for the reprimand.
The Supreme Court last month approved an agreement, known as a stipulation, reached by Levey Cohen and the state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates judicial conduct.
A filing at the Supreme Court said Levey Cohen was accused, in part, of forwarding an email about her election opponent to a representative of the Wynmoor Condominium Democratic Club 'without verifying the accuracy of the claims.'
The information, for example, included an accusation that Levey Cohen's opponent obtained money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic when she did not qualify.
Also, a May 8 Supreme Court order said Levey Cohen filed an Internal Revenue Service complaint challenging the tax-exempt status of a church where her opponent campaigned.
The order said Levey Cohen sent a copy of the complaint to the church with a false return address, 'suggesting that the correspondence was from the IRS itself.'
Chief Justice Carlos Muniz said during Tuesday's reprimand that misconduct poses a risk to public confidence in the judiciary.
'Any unethical behavior by a judge — including in a campaign setting — puts that trust at risk,' Muniz said.
