A Florida judge who once threatened to send a man to jail because he couldn't find a seat in his courtroom was punished for acting like a "playground bully" with an unpaid 60-day suspension.
The Florida Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Circuit Court Judge Wayne Culver will receive a 60-day suspension and a public reprimand, which will be decided at a later date, for holding or threatening to hold multiple people in contempt of court in February 2022, Tampa Bay Times reported.
The first incident involved Culver sentencing a man to 179 days, the maximum possible number, to jail for not completing a domestic violence program without allowing him to speak, according to a report obtained by Tampa Bay Times.
"Ma'am, sit down our you're going into custody as well," Culver told a woman who attempted to interject after his sentencing.
The man later won an appeal on his case after an investigation found Culver violated the man's right to due process by not allowing him to speak.
The second incident saw Culver tell a defendant to "shut up and sit down" after he entered the courtroom in the middle of a hearing. The defendant attempted to tell Culver he had trouble finding a seat.
"That's not shutting up. You want to be held in contempt and go to jail? I asked you a f--king question, a--hole," Culver said, again neglecting to allow the man to defend himself.
It was also recommended that Culver continue that anger management courses and stress treatment he started in 2022, but the supreme court cannot technically endorse it since it is not listed as an allowable punishment, according to Tampa Bay Times.
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