Broward judge may be reprimanded for political contributions

A Broward County circuit judge already facing a potential reprimand from the Florida Supreme Court also could be disciplined for making political contributions, according to documents filed Friday by the state Judicial Qualifications Commission.

In January, the commission recommended that the Supreme Court reprimand Judge Stefanie Moon based on two allegations. Those allegations involved reminding an attorney in court that he had not returned a phone call related to her re-election campaign and improperly contacting the therapist of a man who was a party in a case and whose mental health was an issue.

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But the documents filed Friday also alleged Moon violated judicial canons by making political contributions, including to committees backing former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, former President Joe Biden and ActBlue, a Democratic Party fundraising arm.

Broward circuit judge Stefanie Moon faces discipline from the Florida Supreme Court after she admitted to violating, among other things, judicial canons that bar a judge from campaign activities while on the bench – conduct first exposed in a report by NBC6 Investigates last May.

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The commission, which investigates judicial conduct, and Moon reached an agreement to recommend that she face a public reprimand and pay a fine of $2,115, the amount of the political contributions.

“The commission believes that a public reprimand and fine will be sufficient to deter similar misconduct by the respondent (Moon) in the future and will also serve as a reminder to future candidates for judicial office that they must protect the integrity of judicial elections by refraining from inappropriate campaign activity and improper political contributions,” one of the documents said.

The Supreme Court makes ultimate decisions about disciplining judges.