TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday publicly reprimanded a Brevard County circuit judge for what Chief Justice Charles Canady described as “intemperate behavior” in two cases.
Judge Robin Lemonidis stood quietly as Canady read the reprimand, which stems from an investigation by the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Lemonidis and an investigative panel of the commission reached an agreement, known as a stipulation, after a probe of her actions. In one of the cases, for example, Canady said Lemonidis became frustrated with apparent violations of courtroom decorum during a trial.
“Instead of showing the patience required of judges, you assumed an aggressive, adversarial tone and demeanor,” Canady said to Lemonidis during the reprimand. “You loudly struck your gavel, you made facial gestures and you took other actions to show your annoyance. Your behavior reached the point that a juror in the trial commented on your perceived dislike of defense counsel.”