Mark Hulsey
Mark Hulsey was a judge for the 4th Circuit Court in Florida. He was elected to the court on August 24, 2010, effective in the following January. He replaced retired Judge William A. Wilkes.[1][2]
Hulsey resigned in January 2017. He had been under a judicial misconduct investigation since July 2016, and his hearing in front of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission was set to begin in February.[3] Read more below.
Biography
Hulsey received his B.A. in history from the University of Florida and his J.D. from George Mason University. He also received an M.A. in international relations from the University of Southern California. Hulsey was in solo practice from 1990 to 2010.[4]
Elections
2016
Florida's 20 circuit courts all had seats up for election in 2016. Of the 151 seats up for election, 125 saw only one candidate file for the election. The unopposed races were canceled and the sole candidates were automatically elected. Of the 26 opposed races, only 10 saw more than two candidates file. Candidates who received a majority of votes cast in the primary election on August 30, 2016, won the race and did not advance to the general election. Races where no candidate receives 50 percent plus one of the votes cast required a general election on November 8, 2016, between the top two primary vote recipients. Incumbent Mark Hulsey defeated Gerald L. Wilkerson in the Group 25 primary election for Florida's 4th Circuit Court.[5]
| Florida 4th Circuit Court, Group 25 Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mark Hulsey Incumbent |
50.20% | 96,663 |
| Gerald L. Wilkerson | 49.80% | 95,910 |
| Total Votes | 192,573 | |
| Source: Florida Department of State Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Primary Election," accessed December 19, 2016 | ||
2010
- See also: Florida judicial elections, 2010
Hulsey won the election in the primary, receiving 53.9 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed and was elected in the general election on November 2nd.[1]
Noteworthy events
Misconduct allegations (2016)
On July 19, 2016, the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) announced its investigation of Judge Mark Hulsey for possible judicial misconduct. The probe stemmed from allegations that Hulsey told a staff attorney that black people should "go get back on a ship and go back to Africa," and that he called a staff attorney a "bitch" and another derogatory term for women.[6] Included in the JQC's filing of formal charges were allegations that Hulsey mistreated staff attorneys and had his judicial assistant perform personal tasks for him, constituting a "misuse of a government employee" and creating an "unhealthy atmosphere where the boundaries between personal tasks and professional work became indistinct." Hulsey is accused of violating the following canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct: 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B(1), 3B(2), 3B(4), 3B(5), 3B(8), 3C(1), 5A(1), 5A(2), 5A(3), and 5A(6).[7]
In response to the commission's announcement, Chief Judge Mark Mahon reassigned Hulsey from the criminal division to the probate division, calling the allegations "very serious, and if true, very troubling." He stressed that his reassignment decision was not intended to be a judgment concerning the validity of the charges, but "to continue the orderly administration of justice."[8]
Hulsey denied all allegations against him in a statement released by his re-election campaign. "I am pleased the JQC has concluded its initial investigation, and that I will now have an opportunity to respond to them in a public forum," he said. Since the hearing would likely not occur until after the election, Hulsey said, "That will allow the challenger in my reelection campaign to continue using these baseless allegations in his attacks against me. I’m counting on my reputation for impartiality, integrity and honesty to help voters and my long-time supporters see through these dirty political tactics."[9] Hulsey's 2016 opponent, Gerald L. Wilkerson, condemned "that his campaign would attempt to deflect attention from these serious allegations by knowingly and falsely suggesting that these allegations and findings are somehow the result of dirty politics."[10]
Ten black attorneys that have tried cases before Hulsey held a news conference in support of the judge. They said he never appeared to be racist or demeaning in court. "He has a good reputation in the courthouse amongst everybody I can think of. White lawyers, black lawyers, men and women. He has a reputation for being fair to every litigant that comes before him," said attorney A. Wellington Barlow.[8]
On August 8, Hulsey filed his written response to the JQC, formally denying all allegations against him.[11] Hulsey's hearing in front of the Judicial Qualifications Commission panel would have began on February 6, 2017, but he resigned from the court in January 2017.[12]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Mark Hulsey Florida judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- 4th Judicial Circuit Court website
- YouTube: "Mark Hulsey for Circuit Court Judge -- Trust" (campaign commercial)
Additional reading
- Florida Code of Judicial Conduct
- Notice of Formal Charges by the Judicial Qualifications Commission
- Judge Mark Hulsey Responds to Allegations of JQC Investigation Panel
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Florida Division of Elections, "Circuit 4, Group 25 Results," archived on June 3, 2012
- ↑ Jacksonville.com (The Florida Times-Union), "Circuit judge race: It's about money and face time," July 27, 2010
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Scandal-plagued Jacksonville judge Mark Hulsey ‘abruptly resigns’ from bench," January 23, 2017
- ↑ Florida Bar, "Judicial Candidate Voluntary Self-Disclosure Statement: Mark Hulsey," accessed July 21, 2016
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Misconduct Probe for Judge Accused of Racist, Sexist Slurs," July 20, 2016
- ↑ Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission, "Notice of Formal Charges," July 19, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 News4Jax, "Judge reassigned after panel finds he made sexist, racist comments," July 20, 2016
- ↑ Re-elect Judge Mark Hulsey campaign, "Judge Mark Hulsey Responds to Allegations of JQC Investigation Panel," July 19, 2016
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Mark Hulsey fires back, says ‘dirty political tactics’ at play," July 20, 2016
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Jax judge denies calling woman lawyer ‘c-word’," August 9, 2016
- ↑ Florida Politics, "Mark Hulsey hearing with Judicial Qualifications Commission set for Feb. 6," September 19, 2016
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Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida
State courts:
Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court
State resources:
Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida
