That Is Spelled Public Reprimand
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission recommends a public reprimand of a newly-elected judge for violations in her first judical campaign
A. Improperly Inserting Partisan Politics into a Non-Partisan Judicial Race
Judge Woolsey made telephone calls to super voters and used a ring-to-voicemail campaign to reach other voters. In at least one call, captured on a recorded voicemail message, Judge Woolsey described herself as a “conservative.” In the message, Judge Woolsey states in relevant part, “Hey. sorry I missed you. My name is Casey Woolsey and I am calling because I’m running for County Court Judge here in St. Johns County. So, I just wanted to introduce myself and ask if you would consider voting for me when you’re filling in your mail in ballots. I am a conservative, and my website is www.caseywoolseyforjudge.com and that is spelled w-o-o-l-s-e-y…” [emphasis added] The recording is included as JQC Exhibit 1.
Judge Woolsey was unable to tell the Commission if the recording was one she individually made or the pre-recorded ring-to-voicemail she used during her campaign
B. Improper Statements About Funds Raised
The Facebook page for Casey Woolsey for Judge posted messages that Judge Woolsey approved. In a post about campaign finances, misleading statements about the amount of money the campaign had raised were made. Specifically, this post was made on October 9, 2020
Casey Woolsey’s Campaign for Judge is proud to announce the Campaign posted over $100,000 in its first month. It appears this is the most ever raised in the first month for a St. Johns County Court judicial race. Casey appreciates the support of her friends, colleagues family and supporters who have already donated or offered to volunteer on the Campaign For those that are interested in helping, please visit the website at caseywoolseyforjudge.com/volunteer or email info@caseywoolseyrorjudge.com
From an accounting perspective, it is correct to note the entire amount in the account was posted.” Generally, the term “posted” refers to totaling a general ledger or account, regardless of its source. However, the second sentence in the post makes it appear that the $100,000 was raised from people who believed in Judge Woolsey’s candidacy. Campaign reports note that Casey Woolsey loaned herself $50,000 during September 2020, which was omitted from the October post about the September fundraising.
Recommended sanction
The Commission believes a public reprimand is appropriate in Judge Woolsey’s case because the Commission did not find a systemic pattern of misconduct warranting harsher discipline or removal from office. E.g., Inquiry Concerning a Judge (Decker), 212 So. 3d 291, 293 (Fla. 2017) and Inquiry Concerning a Judge (Santino), 257 So. 3d 25 (Fla. 2018)
Distilled down, Judge Woolsey made representations about her candidacy that were improper and misleading. Judge Woolsey admitted these violations should not have happened and addressed how she would handle campaigns differently in the future. Judge Woolsey admitted that it was incumbent upon her to know the Canons and follow the Canons, and that being in her first campaign was not an excuse for the failures at issue. The Commission believes that a public reprimand of Judge Woolsey will be sufficient to deter similar misconduct by Judge Woolsey in the future and will also serve as a reminder to future candidates for judicial office that they must protect the integrity of non-partisan judicial elections by refraining from using, advertising, or implying partisan endorsements.
(Mike Frisch)