Jim Rosica
Circuit Judge Mark Hulsey III of Jacksonville now faces a second amended complaint of judicial misconduct, according to a Friday filing.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), which investigates misconduct accusations against judges, leveled a new charge, this one related to Hulsey’s re-election campaign. He won re-election in August against Jacksonville lawyer Gerald Wilkerson after a recount.
“(Y)ou directed your Judicial Assistant to overnight personal packages related to your campaign, using the 4th Judicial Circuit’s own FedEx account,” the complaint says. “You did not reimburse the Court for the cost of shipping those personal items.”
Hulsey stands accused, among other things, of referring to a woman attorney by using a vulgar term for female genitalia. He’s also charged with mistreating courthouse staff attorneys and his judicial assistant.
He is also accused of “offhandedly observ(ing) about African-Americans, ‘They should go get back on a ship and go back to Africa,’ ” in an exchange with a staff attorney, according to a JQC report.
In his own filing, Hulsey – first elected in 2010 – has previously denied the allegations, saying he “treats all persons with whom he comes in contact as a judicial officer with proper courtesy and respect.”
The judge also has asked for an investigation into a leak of the case before it became public earlier this year. He now has 20 days to respond to the most recently filed complaint.
Hulsey’s father, Jacksonville legal legend Mark Hulsey Jr., was the 1969-70 president of The Florida Bar and once served as chair of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, the same body now investigating his son.
