TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Capital Bureau) – The Florida Supreme Court has rejected a stipulation that would’ve seen an Orlando judge publicly reprimanded for making a comment about chopping cotton to a Black defendant.
Judge John E Jordan is also accused of berating two public defenders in open court in a way that’s unbecoming of a judge.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court released a brief one-page order that remanded the case for further proceedings, instead of accepting the “joint stipulation and recommendations.”
That agreement had previously been negotiated between the Judicial Qualifications Commission and Judge Jordan. Instead, the case will continue and could lead to stiffer punishment.
Florida Politics:
According to the agreed-upon facts, Judge Jordan was presiding over a plea hearing for a 33-year-old Black female defendant.
While deciding her fate, Judge Jordan inquired if her great-uncle, who is also Black, could have the defendant work on the uncle’s farm.
“You ever chopped cotton before?” Judge Jordan asked the defendant. “You know what that is? You take a hoe and you know out the weeds. That’ll straighten you up real quick doing that stuff.”
According to court documents, Judge Jordan denies being a racist, but acknowledges he’s never asked any other defendants about chopping cotton.
“Judge Jordan also acknowledged that his questions and comments in this instance were ill-considered. In particular, Judge Jordan acknowledges that he failed to consider how his comments, as a judge considering whether to order a black defendant to “work the land,” immediately followed by a reference to “chopping cotton,” could have been interpreted (and indeed were interpreted) as inappropriate, especially in light of the historically demeaning stereotype associating black people with picking cotton,” the joint stipulation reads.
According to the court papers, Judge Jordan said if the Judicial Qualifications Commission had evidence he was a racist, the Commission would make “a far different recommendation of far more severe sanctions, up to and including removal from office.”
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.