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Jackie L. Fulford

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Jackie L. Fulford

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Prior offices
Florida 2nd Circuit Court

Education

Bachelor's

Florida Atlantic University

Law

Stetson College of Law


Jackie L. Fulford was a judge for the Second Circuit Court in Florida. She serves in Wakulla County.[1] She was appointed to the court by former Democratic Governor Charlie Crist on July 15, 2009, to replace retired Judge Janet E. Ferris. She ran unopposed and was retained in the August 24, 2010.[2][3][4]

In April 2015, formal charges of judicial misconduct were filed against the judge. She also went on medical leave beginning in April. Following an evaluation performed at the request of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC), it was determined that Fulford suffered from a "disability that seriously interferes with her ability to perform her judicial duties and that the disability is permanent." In August 2015, the commission recommended involuntary retirement for the judge, and she agreed to step down.[5]

Read more about Judge Fulford's misconduct charges and retirement below.

Education

Fulford received her bachelor's degree from Florida Atlantic University and her J.D. from the Stetson College of Law.[2]

Career

Fulford practiced law with the firm of Garrity and Fulford P.A. from 1994 to 1995 and at Morrison, Morrison and Miller P.A. from 1996 to 1998. She then served as a chief assistant state attorney for the Second Circuit Court until her appointment to that court in 2009.[2]

Noteworthy events

Formal charges filed against Fulford (2015)

On April 27, 2015, the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) filed formal charges against Fulford for using her judicial office to influence attorneys, for the appearance of impropriety caused by her close friendship with Wakulla County Sheriff David Harvey, for opposing a candidate publicly during elections, and for interjecting herself in a domestic battery case involving the son of her significant other.[6][7]

The commission found that Fulford's actions constituted a violation of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct and "taken collectively...constitute a pattern of misconduct which raises serious questions regarding [her] fitness to perform the duties of the office [she] now holds."[6]

On August 26, the JQC filed a recommendation that Fulford be retired involuntarily from the bench. Following a hearing in April, the Investigative Panel of the Commission requested that the judge undergo an evaluation to determine whether she suffered from a physical or mental disability. According to the report, the evaluation concluded that "Judge Fulford does indeed suffer from a disability that seriously interferes with her ability to perform her judicial duties and that the disability is permanent."[5] She went on medical leave since April, and agreed to step down from the bench.[8] The Florida Supreme Court formalized the commission's recommendation on September 30, 2015.[9]

Click on these links to read the Notice of Formal Charges and the Findings and Recommendation of Involuntary Retirement in full.

Elections

2010

See also: Florida judicial elections, 2010

Fulford ran unopposed and was automatically retained to the Second Circuit Court for a new term in 2010.[3][4]

Recent news

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See also

External links

Footnotes