Broward County Judge Terri-Ann Miller Faces 4 Misconduct Charges

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 26, 2007

 

The Judicial Qualifications Commission filed four misconduct charges against Broward County Judge Terri-Ann Miller, accusing her of misleading voters into thinking she already was a sitting judge when she ran for election in 2006.

If the JQC finds her guilty of misconduct, she faces anything from a reprimand to removal from the bench.

Miller was a judge for eight years in Miami-Dade County, but did not seek re-election there in 2000.

Miller hears civil cases in county court at the Hollywood satellite courthouse.

The commission accused Miller of distributing campaign materials "calculated" to imply she was the incumbent when she was not.

 Her campaign material also included a photo of her wearing a judicial robe, the JQC charged.

The JQC said that Judge Miller "made a continuing deliberate effort to misrepresent your qualifications for office." Her cumulative misconduct "constitutes a pattern and practice unbecoming a candidate for and lacking the dignity appropriate to judicial office, with the effect of bringing the judiciary into disrepute," the commission wrote in its complaint.

Miller referred questions to her lawyer, Michael Catalano.

Catalano said the judge never intended to do anything wrong and will fight the charges.

In November, Broward's Fair Campaign Practices Committee dismissed a similar complaint against Judge Miller.

The committee found Miller might have been "stretching the envelope" with her material, but found she did not deliberately set out to deceive the public.

The Florida Elections Commission also dismissed a similar complaint against Miller earlier this year.

The Judicial Canons or rules all judges must follow, hold judges to the highest standards of conduct.

Miller said she used yard signs left over from a 2000 campaign. She said she put small stickers saying "former" before the word judge and posted about 10 signs near polling places.

The JQC also said that some of campaign pamphlets were deceptive by including a picture of herself in judicial robe implying she was an incumbent judge.

Last year's campaign was Miller's third try for the Broward bench, and those three campaigns have been controversial.

She drew criticism when she decided not to run for re-election in Miami-Dade in 2000 after a Cuban-American candidate challenged her.

Miller said at the time: "This was not the year of Miller. It was the year of the Hispanics."

She said she felt vulnerable to defeat because she gave the maximum fine to a truck driver during a protest over the Elian Gonzalez custody dispute.

She challenged Broward County Judge Robert Zack in 2000, but was removed from the ballot because of residency issues because she lived in Miami-Dade.

The Florida Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from her. In a 4-3 decision issued the justices refused to take the case.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a Broward Circuit judge's ruling that Miller was not eligible to run for Broward County judge because she remained on the Miami-Dade bench, indicating her main residence was in Aventura.

The Florida Supreme Court later ruled that she should have been allowed to run.

In 2002, Miller unsuccessfully challenged Broward County Judge Steven DeLuca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2009

 

After about two years, and Judge Miller arguing her case back and forth with the Judicial Qualifications Commission, motions to dismiss, motions to strike, and a motion for “Summary Judgement, The Florida Supreme Court has decide that she did nothing wrong and dismissed its case against Judge Miller.

We are always glad to hear when a judge is found not to be corrupt.

Administrator

South Florida Corruption.com