Scott DuPont
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This judge is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
Scott DuPont was a judge of the Seventh Circuit Court, Group 10, in Florida. He was first elected to the bench on November 2, 2010. He won re-election to a second term in the primary election on August 30, 2016.[1]
The Florida Supreme Court removed DuPont from the bench in June 2018.[2]
Biography
DuPont received his bachelor's degree in political science and biblical studies from Dallas Baptist University. He later received his masters in public policy and his J.D. degree from Regent University.[3]
DuPont began his legal career working for the State Attorney's Office of the 7th Judicial Circuit. After two years, he opened his own legal practice. He worked in that position for four years before he was elected to the circuit court in 2010.[3]
DuPont has been a member of the Volusia County Bar since 2006. He was a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association from 2006 to 2009 and of the American Criminal Defense Lawyers Association from 2006 to 2008.[3]
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 Scott DuPont defeated Malcolm Anthony in the Group 10 primary election for Florida's 7th Circuit Court.[4]
| Florida 7th Circuit Court, Group 10 Primary Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Scott DuPont Incumbent |
62.24% | 86,100 |
| Malcolm Anthony | 37.76% | 52,240 |
| Total Votes | 138,340 | |
| Source: Florida Department of State Division of Elections, "August 30, 2016 Primary Election," accessed December 19, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan elections
There are 597 judges on the Florida Circuit Court, each elected via nonpartisan elections. They serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to retain their seat.[5]
The chief judge is selected by peer vote and serves in that capacity for two years.
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[5]
- a qualified elector;
- a state resident;
- admitted to practice law in the state for five years; and
- under the age of 75 (retirement at 75 is mandatory).
2010
- See also: Florida judicial elections, 2010
DuPont received 31.9 percent of the vote in the 2010 primary. He then earned 51.8 percent of the general election votes, defeating Donald E. Holmes.[1]
Noteworthy events
Misconduct allegations (2016 - 2018)
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission charged Judge DuPont with five counts of judicial misconduct in November 2016 for statements he made during his re-election campaign. DuPont said during a candidate forum that he would not declare any laws to be unconstitutional because that would be "legislating from the bench." The commission found that statement to be in conflict with his oath to uphold the state and federal constitutions.[6]
The other misconduct charges stem from claims that DuPont made about his opponent, Malcolm Anthony. DuPont used information about Anthony that he obtained from the website Instant Checkmate. The website warns that the information may not be accurate and should be verified, but DuPont posted on his campaign website that Anthony's wife had been arrested three times, that his daughter had been arrested 21 times, and that Anthony had received three tickets for parking in handicapped spots, used aliases, and changed his name to hide his past. The commission also accused DuPont of making false statements about Anthony during the candidate forum.[6]
DuPont submitted a response to the commission in December 2016. He said, "I regret having placed the Judicial Qualifications Commission and, ultimately, the Florida Supreme Court, in the position of having to address my actions. In taking full responsibility for my actions, I understand and accept that I will be subjected to sanctions for my conduct. This behavior will never happen again."[7]
In August 2017, the Judicial Qualifications Commission filed additional charges against DuPont. These new charges accused DuPont of misconduct for holding hearings without the counsel of one or both sides present. In one, he agreed to postpone 11:00 and 11:15 a.m. hearings because attorneys for one side were delayed due to a traffic accident. He started the hearings at 11:16 a.m. without the presence of the delayed side and ruled in favor of the side whose counsel was present. In another, he started hearings half an hour early when neither side's attorneys were present. DuPont also allegedly ordered the victim of domestic abuse to undergo and pay for a psychological exam and charged her with contempt of court when she said she could not afford the exam. A man who claimed he could not afford child support was searched for money and valuables in court. The money on his person was seized.[8]
The Florida Supreme Court removed DuPont from the bench in June 2018.[2]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Scott DuPont Florida judge. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, "November 2, 2010 General Election Results, Circuit 7, Group 10," accessed August 24, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Daily Commercial, "State Supreme Court removes 2nd judge for campaign misconduct," July 2, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Florida Bar, "Judicial Candidate Self-Disclosure Statement," June 13, 2016
- ↑ Florida Department of State, "Candidate Listing for 2016 General Election," accessed July 5, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Ledger, "Judge charged with misconduct during campaign," November 23, 2016
- ↑ The Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Flagler judge admits mistakes, faces sanctions," December 20, 2016
- ↑ FlaglerLive.com, "Misconduct Charges Mount Against Flagler Judge Scott DuPont, Now Pointing To Courtroom Violations," August 17, 2017
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
