Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen, who was suspended and reprimanded in June for improper campaign activity during her 2022 re-election effort, has resigned effective Dec. 31, ending a 15-year career on the bench in the middle of her third term.
Her resignation letter was sent last month to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Broward Chief Administrative Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Florida and to uphold the laws and principles of justice,” she said in her letter. “Throughout my career as a judge, I have been continually inspired by the professionalism and leadership of my colleagues … This decision, while bittersweet, comes with a heart full of gratitude for the opportunities and trust that have been placed in me over the years.”
Cohen was first elected to the bench in 2010 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2022.
It was during the 2022 campaign that she was accused of forwarding unverified information from an email she received purporting to be from a relative of lawyer Kaysia Earley, her opponent in the 2022 race. She also admitted sending a letter to a Lauderhill church whose leaders were supporting Earley. The letter was a complaint Levey Cohen had sent to the IRS challenging the tax-exempt status of the church, where her opponent had campaigned.
While judges are elected and must campaign for their positions, candidates are under heavy restrictions to maintain the dignity of the office. Partisanship, for example, is strictly prohibited. Levey Cohen sent the Earley information to a Broward Democratic Club.
Levey Cohen’s career before the bench included stints as an assistant state attorney and assistant attorney general. The courthouse news and gossip website JAABlog was first to report the resignation.
She is married to former Broward Chief Administrative Judge Dale Cohen.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net/@rafael.olmeda.