Judge Faces Ethics Charges for Angry Opinion
A Florida judge is facing ethics charges for writing an opinion that allegedly disparaged the integrity of another member of the bench.
The charges stem from a concurring opinion written by appeals Judge Michael Allen of Tallahassee upholding the bribery conviction of Florida politician W.D. Childers, according to the News-Press.
The opinion blasted Judge Charles Kahn, saying he had improperly participated in Childers’ case. The ethics complaint (PDF) says Allen’s charges were based on newspaper articles that were not part of the record before him.
Kahn himself was the subject of an ethics complaint filed by other judges that had claimed he had improper affairs with court personnel, the newspaper reports. The Judicial Qualifications Commission determined there was no probable cause for the complaint.
