The Judicial Qualifications Commission in Florida has recommended a public reprimand for Orange County Judge John E. Jordan III over racially insensitive comments made to a Black defendant's relative and unprofessional conduct toward public defenders. The incidents occurred in 2025, with the commission issuing its findings on March 29, 2026. The Florida Supreme Court will determine the final punishment.
Orange County Judge John E. Jordan III is set to receive a public reprimand recommended by the Judicial Qualifications Commission for remarks made during a July 2025 plea hearing in a felony battery case involving a 33-year-old Black woman. While discussing community service, Jordan asked the defendant's great-uncle if he owned farmland and said, 'All my family's farming. They'd love me out there. You ever chopped cotton before? You know what that is? You take a hoe and you knock out the weeds. That'll straighten you up real quick doing that stuff.' The commission noted the phrase evoked a historically demeaning stereotype linking Black people to picking cotton, calling the comments inappropriate. Jordan described them as 'ill-considered' and his first use of the term in court, insisting he is not racist and has made no race-based rulings—a claim the commission found no evidence to contradict. He cited an invitation to join the law advisory committee at Florida A&M University, a historically Black college, as supporting this position. The commission also criticized Jordan's conduct in an April 2025 jury selection for an aggravated battery case, where he scolded two public defenders for not conferring with their client on juror challenges. Jordan asked sarcastically, 'How much time do you need? Can I get you something to eat? Something to drink?' When they protested being rushed, he repeatedly told them to 'shut up,' declared a mistrial citing 'pettiness,' and recused himself. Jordan has served on the bench since 2005. The Florida Supreme Court will decide on the recommended reprimand.
