Judge will receive public reprimand for suggesting lawyers be shot
The Florida Supreme Court has ordered that Florida Second Judicial Circuit Judge J. Layne Smith receive a public reprimand for suggesting that lawyers who had appeared before him be shot. (Photo from the Florida Second Judicial Circuit)
The Florida Supreme Court has ordered that a state trial court judge receive a public reprimand for suggesting that lawyers who had appeared before him be shot.
The justices unanimously agreed in a Sept. 24 order that Florida Second Judicial Circuit Judge J. Layne Smith be rebuked in front of the state’s highest court, though Smith will not receive a suspension or a fine, Bloomberg Law reports.
The order came after Smith self-reported losing his temper with a counsel in a protracted estate and battery matter.
In a 2025 hearing, the Tallahassee, Florida-area judge grew angry with the lawyers after they argued over whether a party had been properly served.
“I would like to tell the deputy to pull his gun and shoot all three of you as far as my level of frustration right now. I really don’t want him to do that,” Smith said, in addition to insulting the lawyers, calling them the “Keystone Cops” and the “Apple Dumpling Gang.”
In addition to turning himself in for violating canons requiring judges to uphold the integrity of the court and be civil, Smith issued an apology and recused from matters involving those lawyers, according to Bloomberg Law.
“Although we accept the Commission’s recommendation, we emphasize that Judge Smith’s conduct fell far below the standard of professionalism that Florida judges owe to those who appear before them,” the Florida Supreme Court said.
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