Here is the 11 minute version. After the judge comes back in the courtroom, he asks the defendant (now without counsel present) if he'll waive speedy trial. To his credit, the defendant says no, he wants this over as fast as possible. The judge makes some more comments. Then he calls the next defendant who is also represented by the public defender and proceeds to ask him questions about how he wants to proceed, even though his lawyer is not there.
It is truly mind-boggling that a judge would behave this way. Physically attacking a defendant's lawyer, and then proceeding to hear cases without the lawyer present?
The judge's leave of absence comes with pay. Last year, he applied for an appeals court position but was turned down. On his application he wrote:
"Judicial temperament includes patience, open-mindedness, courtesy, tact, firmness, understanding, compassion and humility. Patience was the toughest for me. I work very hard to ensure that I do not become impatient."
Judge Murphy is a retired Army colonel who served 30 years in the military.
The Chief Judge of the circuit has issued this statement:
STATEMENT FROM CHIEF JUDGE JOHN M. HARRIS:
As Chief Judge, I want to assure the public that yesterday’s incident involving a county court judge and an assistant public defender is not something that will ever be tolerated in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. This isolated event in no way reflects the typical manner that courtrooms in Brevard and Seminole Counties are managed by the hardworking and conscientious judges in this circuit. People come to court seeking justice and a peaceful resolution to their conflicts and they have the right to expect a much higher standard of behavior from our judges than was exhibited in court yesterday.
All of our judges, including Judge Murphy, fully understand this and to that end, and with the fullest cooperation from Judge Murphy, I have temporarily reassigned all of his pending cases to other judges. Moreover, Judge Murphy has agreed to seek anger management counseling and treatment during a temporary leave of absence.
As Chief Judge, I will continue to work with all of our judges to ensure that we meet our responsibilities to the public in a manner that is worthy of the trust and confidence placed in us. At this time, it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further on the incident, the leave of absence, or any future reassignment of cases.
