If Hillsboro Judge Nancy Jacobs breaks the ethical rules, the weight of the panel

TAMPA – Nancy Jacobs defeated former Hillsboro Circuit Judge Jared Smith, more than two years ago, perhaps the most heavily contested judicial lay stamper, the former Hillsboro Circuit Judge Jared Smith.

Now, she could be removed from the office for what she said during and after the August 2022 election.

The three-day hearing, which ended Wednesday, rehashed much of the heated rhetoric that the pair traded in their campaign. Abortion was on the verge of agitation. Jacobs, a Jew, claimed that Smith’s supporters had made anti-Semitic comments about her.

Jacobs and Smith exchanged fraud accusations at the race, but only Jacobs finds himself at legal risk.

The Judicial Qualifications Committee, a state organization investigating misconduct by judges, charged her in 2023 with a string of violations of Florida’s judicial norms. The accusations are mainly focused on what Jacobs and her supporters wrote and said about Smith.

However, there were also allegations that Jacobs tried to recruit lawyers to run against Judge Robin Husson after joining the bench.

There were also accusations that Jacobs of calling his lawyer “fat, hair removal lawyer” while dealing with one of her first cases as a judge. That was the only accusation she had not denied, and after a difficult hearing she lost her cool and later admitted to writing an apology to her lawyer.

In his final discussion, King Henry Cox III, special advisor to the committee, spoke about the importance of judicial independence from other sectors of the government. He said that ethics rules judges and future jurists are essential to maintaining public trust.

“If there is no trust, if there is no trust from the public in the third division of the government, nothing remains,” Cox said.

Jacobs’ lawyer, Ryan Barack, repeated Jacobs’ testimony, admitting that she could have done some things differently, but he said that he could only move forward.

“It was a contested judicial election, and the people of Hillsboro County chose Nancy Jacobs as their judge,” Barack said. “It’s not (Smith’s) seat. …It’s the people’s seat. It’s the people’s seat.”

Barak noted that throughout the disciplinary process, Jacobs has expressed his willingness to negotiate a settlement with the Commission. However, the case went through the test phase. The Florida Supreme Court will ultimately decide what discipline can be done until it removes from the office what Jacobs can face.

The six-person panel, tasked with determining the case, is expected to produce a written report in the coming months, including findings and recommendations. Panelists include two out-of-town judges, two former Florida President Barr and two congregations appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

After Smith lost the election to Jacobs, DeSantis appointed him to the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeals.

The three-day hearing took place in a courtroom for a spongy ritual in Hillsboro County. There, 18 portraits of a former local judge line up on the wall. Near the back corner, there was an image of Judge Smith framed, wearing glasses and smiling.

Jacobs was placed in the eyewitness stand twice. She regretted being told how to proceed with the campaign. At the same time, she said she believes that many of the statements in question are protected as free speech.

Her life experiences were what she felt was fitting for her to become a judge. When she saw Perry Mason’s show, she wanted to be a lawyer since she was a child. The TV drama gave her respect for the work of a lawyer and the belief that justice was prevailed. She talked about her childhood battle with epilepsy. From there she is still suffering. We talked about difficult marriages that ended in divorce and a long legal career focused primarily on criminal defense, family law, and saints’ service to veterans.

She failed twice before attempting Smith in 2022. She has never been in professional trouble before.

At the time, Smith endured intense criticism of the ruling that denied the 17-year-old girl’s demands to get an abortion without her parents’ consent due to her poor performance at school. Two members of the three judge court panel reversed Smith’s decision and found him abused his discretion.

The campaign was a landmark Roev, who said the US Supreme Court protected abortion rights. It overturned Wade’s ruling and backed the DOBBS decision. At the same time, the campaign carried claims of religious undercurrents and prejudice.

Jacobs recounted the series of interactions she had on the campaign trail with men she later learned. At one event, he handed her what she described as a rambling letter.

“I know you’re Jewish,” she recalled saying. “You need to find Jesus.”

In other events, Jacobs repeated what she said, including that she needed to “find God.” She came to believe that it was a collaborative effort to stop the campaign.

The issue reached a flash point when a video surfaced of Smith and his wife talking at Tampa Church. Smith’s wife was recorded saying that Jacobs “needs Jesus,” that her heart was “hard towards God” and that Satan was led.

The video caused a stir in the community. Jacobs texted local activists that Smith was “biased, anti-Semite… not a good person… he hates me and people like me.” It was part of. It was the statement that formed the basis for one of the accusations against Jacobs.

Other allegations relate to her appearance on the Facebook page of Jacobs’ campaign, including her criticism of Smith’s handling of abortion cases and a statement that he gave the girl a “forced birth.”

Cliff Curry, an East Hillsboro lawyer who supported Smith, testified that he noticed Jacobs’ post, which wrote that Smith was a fair judge “if you look like him.” Curry wrote an answer and told her she believed she was in violation of the judicial canon.

Jacobs claimed she repeatedly sought advice from a judicial ethics advisor. She believed that what she wrote was allowed.

Some of Jacobs’ fellow judges and lawyers who tried to join the bench were among those who took the position of witnesses.

Judge Robin Husson testified that he had had a difficult relationship with Jacobs since becoming a judge. He recounted a conversation he had lunch one day at the Ybor City Barbecue restaurant.

He later heard about allegations that she had told her lawyer Alicia Whiting Bozic to oppose him. He said he believes Jacobs is responsible for the committee to file a complaint against him.

Attorney Gary Dulgin, who supported Jacobs’ campaign, said he was troubled by what he saw from Smith’s camp.

Drugin, who is also Jewish, said he is also troubled by the church video. He said that as a sitting judge, Smith should have known that his wife’s comments were inappropriate.

“It was very uncomfortable for me as a Jew,” he said. “It made me feel like my religion was underestimated and I felt that I was left out.”

Testimony in Jacobs’ defense included Judge Nick Nazarethian, who said he could get to know Jacobs after the campaign. They had not discussed the allegations against her and he knew little about them. However, he said he thought there was something to learn from the situation.

“I think she admits that she did something inappropriate,” Nazarethian said. “I don’t feel I am qualified to answer that question as to whether she is worthy of being a judge.”