TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Florida Supreme Court will publicly reprimand a Wakulla County judge for making \u201cnumerous intemperate and caustic comments\u201d during a hearing last year, according to court records.<\/p>\n
The court decided to impose discipline on Judge J. Layne Smith<\/a>, who serves in Florida\u2019s Second Judicial Circuit, for comments made during a motion-to-compel discovery hearing held in September 2025, according to the court documents filed Thursday.<\/p>\n For discipline, the Judicial Qualifications Commission and Judge Smith both asked the Florida Supreme Court to impose a public reprimand, the records revealed. Since then, the court accepted their recommendation of a public reprimand, noting Smith\u2019s cooperation and lack of prior discipline.<\/p>\n A public reprimand is less serious than other options, such as a suspension, according to the Florida Bar.<\/a><\/p>\n The court\u2019s inquiry into Smith said that the Wakulla County judge made comments that were \u201cnot patient, dignified or courteous and evidenced bias\u201d to the attorneys and the parties during that hearing. <\/p>\n More News out of the Big Bend<\/p>\n At one point during the hearing, Judge Smith told the parties, \u201cI would like to tell the deputy to pull his gun and shoot all three of you as far as my level of frustration right now. I really don\u2019t want him to do that,\u201d according to the court documents.<\/p>\n The court records also accused Smith of belittling the attorneys, in which he referred to them as \u201cApple Dumpling Gang\u201d and \u201cKeystone Cops.\u201d<\/p>\n Just a week after that hearing, the judge recused himself from the case \u201con his own accord\u201d and self-reported his behavior nearly three weeks later. Furthermore, he issued an apology and recused himself \u201cfrom any remaining cases involving the parties to that case,\u201d per the documents.<\/p>\n Judge Smith is ordered to appear for the public reprimand at a scheduled time. At this time, WCTV has no further details regarding when that is expected to take place.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n