ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orange-Osceola Circuit Court judge is facing charges by the state for his conduct in the courtroom, including shouting at attorneys and appearing to show bias during cases.
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission says it found probable cause to bring formal charges against Judge Jeff Ashton, who serves in the Ninth Judicial Circuit, saying, “Your repeated unwillingness or inability to govern your behavior raises questions about your fitness for judicial office, and the foregoing behavior constitutes inappropriate conduct.”
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The JQC says in several hearings, trials and other proceedings, Ashton shouted at attorneys, made inappropriate comments or pulled faces that the commission said appeared to show bias against one party or attorney, particularly when he had a problem with the way that party conducted itself in court.
A report by the JQC for several instances where Ashton was so loud that his comments could be heard by others in the courtroom, over the white noise machine used during sidebar conferences.
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In one case, an attorney filed a motion to get Ashton to recuse himself because his behavior allegedly signaled bias against the attorneys. He refused to recuse himself, and his refusal was overturned by an appeals court.
This is not the first time Ashton was spoken to by the commission about his behavior toward attorneys or parties he feels are being unprofessional. The commission says his conduct violates several canons in the Code of Judicial Conduct regarding upholding the integrity and independence of the court, avoiding the appearance of impropriety, and avoiding the appearance of bias.
Now as part of the complaint process, Ashton has 20 days to file a written answer to the charges. Then the investigative panel will meet with Ashton to decide on what disciplinary action to recommend. The investigative panel may also ask for a formal evidentiary hearing, and issue a “Findings of Fact and Recommendation of Discipline.”
The Florida Supreme Court will decide whether to accept or deny this recommendation and issue a final decision.
Ashton was first elected as a circuit judge in 2018. He was assigned to the domestic violence division, then the civil court division from 2021 until April of this year, when he transferred back to the domestic violence division.
Before that, Ashton was a state attorney and the prosecutor who handled the Casey Anthony trial.
Ashton is currently running for reelection in a runoff race against challenger Alicia Payton in November.
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