Miami Judge Accused Of Showing Up Drunk

Months after her last sanction, a Florida judge is suspended for allegedly showing up to work drunk.

Gavel and AlcoholMost lawyers feel judges are drunk on their own power. Down in Miami, officials believe a judge was drunk on their own booze. Yesterday, the Florida State Supreme Court suspended Miami-Dade County Judge Jacqueline Schwartz based on a report prepared by the Judicial Qualifications Committee that pegged the criminal division judge as “impaired while presiding over cases.”

If that wasn’t enough, the report details an incident at a restaurant earlier in the month:

You also spilled a glass of wine, and then poured water all over the floor of the restaurant while attempting to refill your own water glass. The wait-staff refused to serve you any more alcohol, and you became enraged, berating and swearing at the waiters, and stating, “I want to speak with the fucking owner. You are a fucking idiot, you don’t know who I am.” You told one server that you would have him fired for refusing to serve you.

If this sounds at all familiar, it’s because this isn’t Judge Schwartz’s first trip to the F-bomb morality court. Late last year, Judge Schwartz was fined $10K for telling a store clerk to f**k off. In any event, the recent restaurant outing took a turn when the restaurant called the authorities on their allegedly belligerent patron:

You were further aggressive and uncooperative with the emergency responders, swearing at the police and EMS personnel, calling them “pigs,” and telling the officers that they couldn’t do anything to you because you are a Judge.

I can think of more than a few defense lawyers who’d be overjoyed to hear a criminal court judge blasting police as “pigs.” Step off the government’s script for even a second and they throw the book at you, amiright?

For her part, Judge Schwartz challenges the accusation that she was drunk, blaming her new medication instead. Ah, the “new medication” defense. That’ll get ’em.

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With regard to the restaurant episode, she also explained that she had nothing to drink that day. And, honestly, the facts outlined in the report back her up. After all, she spilled that glass of wine.

Miami-Dade Judge Allegedly Showed Up Drunk On Bench And Called Cops “Pigs” [Miami New Times]

Earlier: Judge Fined $10K For Using ‘One Of The Worst Profanities Known To The English Language’

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