Florida judge accused of racist and sexist remarks resigns before impeachment probe
A Florida judge accused of saying blacks should go back to Africa has resigned a day in advance of an impeachment probe by a House committee.
Judge Mark Hulsey III of Jacksonville did not give a reason for his departure in his one-page resignation letter submitted on Monday, report News4Jax, the Tampa Bay Times and the Associated Press.
Hulsey was re-elected in September by 753 votes, despite pending ethics charges by the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
The commission had alleged in July that Hulsey was “discourteous and condescending” to staff, used inappropriate language, and relied on staff attorneys to supply information on trial procedures.
Hulsey was accused of both racism and sexism. The ethics charges alleged he said blacks should “get back on a ship and go back to Africa” and that he used the C-word and B-word to refer to a staff attorney, and demeaned female staff attorneys by saying they are like cheerleaders who talk during the national anthem. He had denied the allegations.
Revised ethics charges filed in November said judicial staff attorneys were wasting time on “routine and mundane judicial acts” because of Hulsey’s indifference to his judicial duties, according to News4Jax.
