*UPDATE* 4/18/25:
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Anyone thinking Gary Farmer would go quietly into the night in his battle with the JQC has been proven wrong.
Mike Dutko entered an appearance on behalf of Farmer, and filed this Motion For Extension of Time late today, asking for an additional fifteen days from the previously imposed deadline of April 21st to show cause as to why the Supreme Court shouldn’t grant the JQC’s request to suspend Farmer without pay.
While one might disagree with Mike’s assertion that “(telling jokes in Court) … are the primary basis of” the JQC inquiries, Farmer has definitely made a good decision in picking Dutko, known for skillfully pulling countless rabbits out of his hat over his many decades in practice.
From today’s filing:
Can Dutko save Farmer? Or are the odds stacked against him, with even the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board recently opining The party’s over for Broward Judge Gary Farmer:
Quotes from the Editorial Board:
“The disciplinary charges that the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) has filed with the Supreme Court are serious enough to justify the court removing Farmer, if they are held up at trial“
“Farmer told the JQC he’d learned his lesson, but the JQC doesn’t seem to believe him. It noted that he failed to appear for a second preliminary hearing and sent word only that morning that he had some sort of “emergency situation.”
“The JQC also raises issues of legal procedure, absenteeism and quarrelling with an assistant public defender over her politics. But Farmer’s poor demeanor, including scatological jokes, forms the crux of this case“
“Broward has a long history of a highly political legal culture, and with it, an excessive tolerance for mediocrity on the bench.”
(emphasis added)
At the very least, it’s good to know Farmer isn’t giving up without a fight. And with outgoing Chief Judge Jack Tuter’s honorific plaque firmly on the wall of the courtroom named after him for superlative performance, Browardians will now, pending upcoming Supreme Court rulings, potentially have an unprecedented three very public, highly embarrassing JQC trials to enjoy in the coming months starring Farmer, Mardi Levey-Cohen, and Stefanie Moon …
GET THE POPCORN READY!
