Florida judge suspended from office for promising support to cops and ‘putting in’ the criminal

Supporting blue and promising to be tough on criminals has become a positive message for a Florida judicial candidate, but it also led to his suspension by the Florida Supreme Court this week.

John B. Flynn was elected to the Polk County bench in 2022 after pledging to “support our law enforcement agencies” and vowing that “criminals will not be happy to see me on the bench.” I’m tough. If someone is found guilty, the punishment must be painful enough for the person to learn that criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”

Flynn carried that message to a decisive victory, defeating his opponent by 25 percentage points. But the state’s ethics watchdog, the Commission on Judicial Qualifications, opened an investigation and found that the campaign violated judicial rules, rules that govern a judge’s public and private conduct.

“It is the duty of the impartial judge to look at each defendant individually and each case individually,” said Broward County attorney Jason B. Blank, who serves as president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He said the judge’s campaign statements undermined public confidence that the defendants would be given a fair hearing.

Blank did not object much to the general statements supporting the police, and acknowledged that jurors were told to consider the police’s testimony as they would any civilian witness. “We hope they will testify honestly, as every citizen would and should do. “A statement of support for law enforcement must be balanced with the fact that not every defendant is guilty.”

Once elected, Flynn was appointed to oversee civil litigation.

A phone call to the attorney representing Flynn before the credentials panel was not returned Wednesday.

The Supreme Court suspended Flynn without pay for 25 days and ordered him to appear before the trial justices for a public reprimand. Suspension and reprimand dates have not yet been determined.