Florida Supreme Court reprimands Palm Beach County Judge Marni Bryson over absences from work

It took less than four minutes on Tuesday for Palm Beach County Judge Marni Bryson to become the second jurist in county history to be publicly reprimanded by the Florida Supreme Court.

Standing alone in the well of the wood-paneled courtroom in Tallahassee, the 47-year-old two-term judge listened as Chief Justice Charles Canady blasted her repeated absences and tardiness, saying they showed “galling disrespect” for the public.

“This is a sad occasion for you, for this court and for the entire state judiciary,” Canady said, repeating language that was used when Judge Barry Cohen was reprimanded eight years ago.

In the brief, but stern rebuke, Canady noted that Bryson’s failure to show up for work without notifying others violated two judicial canons.

One of the rules Bryson admitted she violated requires judges to give their judicial duties precedence over all of their other activities. The other requires judges to treat lawyers, litigants and others with “patience, dignity and courtesy.”

Bryson’s lapses that occurred from 2016 to 2019 “imperil public trust and confidence” in the judicial system, Canady said.

“Such conduct manifests a galling disrespect for all of the participants in the proceedings,” Canady said.

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Bryson, who twice asked that her public scolding be delayed, wore a mask that made it difficult to assess her reaction to the reprimand. After the hearing, she declined comment.

But before she in September agreed to be reprimanded, pay a $37,500 fine and be suspended 10 days without pay, she claimed the allegations against her were unfounded.

In written documents filed by her attorneys, she said there are no rules that require judges to work from the courthouse. As a single mother of a young son, she said she occasionally left work early but continued to do research and write opinions from home.

She also noted that she had suffered from serious illnesses, including a ruptured appendix that forced her to take time off from her $151,822-a-year job.

She cited health problems last month when she for a second time asked the high court to delay her reprimand.

In court papers, she also claimed she had been unfairly targeted by then-Chief Judge Krista Marx, who was chair of the Judicial Qualifications Commission before she retired in July. The commission investigates and recommends discipline for judges accused of wrongdoing.

Bryson suggested that a salacious lawsuit she filed against a politically powerful Fort Lauderdale attorney prompted Marx to launch the investigation.

In the ongoing lawsuit, Bryson is accusing lawyer William Scherer, the father of the Broward County judge who is handling the death-penalty phase for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, of threatening to release nude photos of her.

The threat was an effort to stop Bryson from pursuing plans to call one of Scherer’s longtime friends to testify in a child-custody battle between Bryson and her ex-husband, she claims. Scherer’s friend, fellow well-known Fort Lauderdale attorney Stephanie Toothacker, had dated Bryson’s ex-husband.

Marx and an attorney for the judicial watchdog group vehemently denied that the lawsuit spurred the investigation. Marx left the room when fellow JCQ members discussed the allegations against Bryson and did not take part in discussions about whether formal charges should be filed, said attorney Henry Coxe III, a JQC attorney.

High courts notes Marni Bryson had never been charged before with ethical violations

Canady noted that since formal charges were filed against Bryson in April 2021, her attendance and punctuality had improved. Further, he noted that Bryson, who faces re-election this year, has never before been charged with violating ethical rules by either the JCQ or the Florida Bar.

While focusing on Bryson’s misdeeds, he also said other judges should take note.

“This reprimand, like any reprimand, should serve as a sobering warning to any judge who does not take seriously the obligations imposed by the code,” he said.

In addition to Cohen and Bryson, only one other Palm Beach County judge has been disciplined by the high court. County Judge Dana Santino was removed from office in 2018 for inflammatory comments she made against her opponent on the campaign trial.

Circuit Judge Howard Berman was also accused of violating judicial canons. He resigned in 2001, days before a panel was to hear testimony about sexual harassment allegations.

jmusgrave@pbpost.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County Judge Marni Bryson reprimanded by Florida Supreme Court