A Florida county judge has now been suspended after he challenged a lawyer to a fight in the middle of a courtroom.
Brevard County Judge John C. Murphy was accused of hitting assistant public defender Andrew Weinstock last year after they argued over whether Weinstock’s client could have a speedy trial.
The courtroom row escalated into scuffle after the respected judge challenged the lawyer to fist fight in the hallway. Footage of the dispute last year later went viral.
Today Florida Supreme Court ordered Murphy’s immediate suspension and is moving forward to removing him permanently.
He has been given 20 days to explain why he should not be removed from office altogether.
They also recommended he should continue with anger management and should be fined $50,000 plus court costs, reported Wesh Orlando.
Following the incident, Murphy took a month off, where he received anger-management counseling and issued a public apology.
When he returned to work he was assigned to a different courthouse in Titusville.
The panel said they could find ‘no clear and convincing evidence’ that Judge Murphy ever actually struck Weinstock.
