Florida Judge Suspended Over Inappropriate Courtroom Jokes During Criminal Hearings

Broward Circuit Judge Gary M. Farmer Jr. has been indefinitely suspended after the state's judicial qualifications commission determined the jokes he was making to defendants were "inappropriate"

A Florida judge has been indefinitely suspended for repeatedly making inappropriate and undignified jokes during felony court hearings, raising concerns over courtroom decorum and professional conduct.

Broward Circuit Judge Gary Farmer Jr. was sanctioned by the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission for comments deemed unprofessional and potentially disrespectful during proceedings. The incidents occurred during several criminal hearings in August, where Farmer made remarks he later described as “G-rated Dad jokes” intended to “lighten the tension” and “reduce stress” for defendants.

In one notable exchange, Farmer addressed a defendant who had reportedly fathered children with three different women within nine months. “OK, you’ve been busy,” the judge remarked. “You were just shooting all over the place! That’s good, do you know their names? First and last? Romantic are you? Don’t tell Susie about Jane, don’t tell Jane about Mary. God bless you, man. One’s enough.”

Farmer went on to joke about issuing a court order for the man to wear a condom, quipping, “I’m going to order that you wear a condom at all times. For your own good. OK? Probation is going to check. No, I’m kidding. I’m kidding.”

The judge continued with similarly offbeat comments, including telling the defendant not to “get [his] appointed defender pregnant” when he realized the attorney was a woman.

In a separate case, when a defendant named Georgia appeared before the court, Farmer began making jokes involving peaches and singing lyrics that referenced the state. “You’re supposed to say ‘peachy.’ How you doin’, Georgia? Peachy!” he said.

Farmer also quoted extensively from a Marlon Wayans sketch from the comedy show In Living Color, though the relevance of the reference during legal proceedings was unclear, according to the commission.

Despite acknowledging that his jokes were “exceptionally, exceptionally bad,” Farmer persisted with the humor throughout the hearings. During a bond hearing for a suspect accused of first-degree kidnapping, Farmer responded to a defense attorney’s remark that the alleged victim was taken to a strip club by saying, “I was about to say, I think there’s a long list of husbands who have claimed exactly that in the past. We’ve all been taken against our will.”

In response to the formal allegations, Farmer defended his conduct, stating: “These jokes were said to lighten tension, reduce stress for criminal defendants, and show a sense of humanity. They generally are G-rated ‘Dad jokes’ that are corny but not offensive, and were not degrading to the solemnity of the proceedings.”

Judge Gary Farmer Jr. previously served as a Democratic member of the Florida State Legislature before being elected to the bench. The timeline for his possible return to judicial duties remains uncertain as the suspension continues without a set end date.