A Florida judge is in trouble for tardiness, long lunches, holding sessions at inconvenient times like Saturday morning and too many smoking breaks.
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The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission also alleges in a complaint released Wednesday that Circuit Judge William "Jack" Singbush has brought his own religious views into court sessions, saying from the bench that "Christ is the intercessor." He is also alleged to have run a criminal background check on a witness.
The judge, who was first elected in 1991, presides over civil cases in Marion County and several surrounding counties in northern Florida.
Singbush's work habits are so dilatory he sometimes does not finish for the day until 8 p.m., the commission said.
"Judge Singbush is disappointed by the JQC's choice to file formal charges," the judge's lawyer, William "Dude" Phelan, said. "Nobody has proven anything."
The commission can recommend a range of penalties, including removal from the bench. The final decision is in the hands of the state Supreme Court.