Supreme Court reprimands Tallahassee judge
NSF Staff Report
The Florida Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Tallahassee-area Circuit Judge Barbara Hobbs after an investigation that also resulted in a 60-day suspension and a $30,000 fine.
Last Wednesday’s discipline stemmed, at least in part, from Hobbs’ actions after her son was arrested in 2019 for allegedly shooting through a door at his home and striking a woman.
Hobbs went to the Tallahassee police station and acted as her son’s attorney, including during police questioning of her son, according to a document filed last year by a panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission. The panel concluded that Hobbs, who later contacted an attorney to represent her son, violated judicial canons.
Hobbs, a judge in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, also was accused of not properly supervising a judicial assistant, who allowed Hobbs’ son to improperly access restricted areas of the courthouse.
Hobbs stood silently last Wednesday as Chief Justice Carlos Muniz gave the public reprimand.
“You allowed personal attachments and loyalty to overcome your ethical obligations as a judge,” Muniz said. The chief justice acknowledged that Hobbs’ misconduct came during a “challenging and stressful time” for her family.
He said that and other mitigating factors helped lead the Supreme Court to decide that the misconduct did not warrant removing Hobbs from the bench. The Supreme Court has ultimate authority to discipline judges.
