A state commission has concluded that the Florida judge who presided over the trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz exhibited bias towards the prosecution and should face public reprimand.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission determined that Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer violated multiple rules governing judicial conduct during the trial, particularly in her treatment of Cruz’s public defenders, the Associated Press reported. The trial spanned six months and ended with Cruz receiving a life sentence after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty.
According to the commission’s report submitted to the Florida Supreme Court, Scherer was found to have “unduly chastised” lead public defender Melisa McNeill and her team.
Furthermore, she wrongly accused one of Cruz’s attorneys of threatening her child and inappropriately embraced members of the prosecution in the courtroom after the trial’s conclusion, the report said.
Scherer recently announced her retirement from the bench, effective June 30, although the commission insisted that her resignation was not part of any agreement.
During her testimony, Scherer acknowledged that her conduct during the trial fell short of the expected standards for judges, the report added.
The final decision on the matter rests with the Florida Supreme Court.
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