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Judge Accused in Pot-Smoking Case Resigns
Daily Business Review
June 15, 2007
Veteran Broward Circuit Judge Lawrence L. Korda has resigned from the bench, three months after he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge for smoking pot in a Hollywood, Fla., park.
"It has been my honor to serve the court and the state for over 30 years," Korda, 59, wrote in his June 11 letter to Gov. Charlie Crist. The Florida judge was first elected to the bench in 1978.
His resignation takes effect July 2. Korda had been on a voluntary paid leave of absence since early April. After he was caught smoking pot, Chief Judge Ross had transferred him from the family to the probate division. But public criticism mounted, and Korda went on leave.
Copies of Korda's letter also were sent to Ross and the state Judicial Qualifications Commission. The NAACP says it has filed JQC charges against Korda in connection to the marijuana incident.
Chief Judge Ross was out of his office for a conference and could not be reached for comment. Korda's attorney, Michael Dutko, also could not be reached for comment.
Korda was cited March 18 for possession of one marijuana cigarette. The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, which is handling the case because the Broward state attorney's office recused itself, said it will drop the drug charge if Korda stays clean during six months of random drug tests.
Previously, Korda made news in December 2005 when he asked a battered woman seeking a restraining order to speak in English instead of her native Spanish. Last February, he gained national attention when he briefly presided over the paternity fight for the baby daughter of the late tabloid icon Anna Nicole Smith.
In the past few months, Ross and three judges have resigned from their administrative posts, though they will all continue to serve on the bench.
Korda will leave the bench one day before Broward judges are scheduled to select a new chief judge to succeed Ross, who has faced fierce criticism for a series of incidents involving alleged misconduct, embarrassing behavior and comments by judges deemed insensitive to the poor and minorities.
