Judge Martha Adams ordered to appear for public reprimand over inappropriate comments
The Florida Supreme Court has ordered Orange County Judge Martha Adams to appear for a public reprimand, citing courtroom comments it described as “well outside the bounds of what is acceptable for members of our judiciary.”
Acting May 8 in Case No. SC2025-0278, the court accepted a stipulation that Judge Adams violated the Canons of Judicial Conduct through “biased, impatient, undignified, and discourteous behavior [toward] the staff and management of the Ninth Circuit State Attorney’s Office.”
The Judicial Qualifications Commission and Judge Adams agree that, while presiding over criminal cases in her court, Judge Adams directed rude and intemperate comments at members of the State Attorney’s Office, calling one assistant state attorney an “ass;” talked about making the life of another State Attorney’s Office employee “a shambles;” and said that the State Attorney’s Office was conspiring to remove her from the bench and that therefore she would have to start “being a ‘bitch’” in her rulings.
“We accept the Commission’s conclusion that these actions violated Canons 1, 2A, 3B(4), and 3B(5) of the Code of Judicial Conduct,” the court said. “Aside from generally requiring judges to uphold the integrity of the courts, these canons demand that judges treat parties respectfully and impartially.”
The court said in many cases, adequate discipline for such behavior would require more than a public reprimand, but the record shows that Judge Adams had a clean disciplinary record throughout her 17 years of prior judicial service and that she had no other complaints of this nature.
“The Commission also found that Judge Adams has expressed deep regret and apologized in writing to the individuals directly affected by her misconduct,” the court said. “We accept the Commission’s determination that, given this mitigation, discipline short of a suspension is sufficient.”
