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Originally published February 5, 2010
Court recommends formal reprimand for Dempsey's campaign errors
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Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey was called on the carpet by the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday for improperly using the word "re-elect" in a YouTube campaign posting and padding her legal resume.

The Judicial Qualifications Commission had recommended a formal reprimand for the errors in her 2008 election campaign. Dempsey was appointed to the bench in 2005 and a JQC inquiry concluded that misuse of the word in campaign materials could give voters the impression she had been elected previously.

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Also, the commission said one of her mailed leaflets stated that she "had 20 years of legal experience," although she had been admitted to practice in 1994. The Supreme Court's order said "Judge Dempsey is responsible for the conduct of her political consultant" but noted that she took responsibility for the mistakes and had apologized.

"It is clear that a member of the judiciary or judicial candidate should not mislead the public by placing factually incorrect statements in campaign materials," said the court order.

In previous cases, the justices said, it was established that "a voter should not be required to read the fine print in an election campaign flyer to correct a misrepresentation contained in large, bold letters."

The justices approved the JQC recommendation and ordered her to appear before the court for a reprimand at a date to be set by the court clerk.


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