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PINELLAS COUNTY--A Sixth Circuit Court Judge has been removed from the bench by the Florida Supreme Court for flagrant misrepresentations to the voting public and serious campaign financial misconduct.
No, it wasn't George W. Greer but rather Judge John Renke III of New Port Richey.
The Supreme Court made an unanimous decision that there was clear and convincing evidence that Renke, the youngest Circuit Court judge in Pasco County, was guilty of violations during his 2002 campaign in the Sixth Circuit which covers both Pinellas and Pasco Counties. Renke's father, a former Republican state legislator, had conducted his campaign.
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission had recommended that Renke be fined $40,000, publicly reprimanded by the Supreme Court and be responsible for the costs of the action but the court voted 5-2 to reject the JQC's recommendation and instead voted 5-2 for Renke's removal from the bench because his conduct was so "fundamentally inconsistent with the responsibilities of judicial office" that removal was the only answer. The JQC had first levied the charges against Renke two years ago.
In the decision issued Thursday, the Supreme Court said that "In essence, Judge Renke and his cohorts created a fictitious candidate, funded his candidacy in violation of Florida's election laws and successfully perpetrated a fraud on the electorate. Those who seek to assume the mantle of administrators of justice cannot be seen to attain such a position of trust through such unjust means". http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/2006/sc03-1846.pdf
The court found that the elder Renke and his law firm had illegally contributed $95,800 of the $105,550 spent by his son's campaign. By state law, the maximum is $500 per person.
The allegations against Renke had included that he had misrepresented himself in a campaign brochure, saying that he was an incumbent judge when he was not. He also falsely claimed in the same brochure that he was chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District when he was not and falsely claimed he had been endorsed by Clearwater firefighters.
Renke also misrepresented his experience as a practicing attorney in a candidate reply he submitted to and was published in the St. Petersburg Times when he stated he had "almost eight years of experience handling complex civil trials in many areas". He had little or no actual trial or courtroom experience. 5-25-06
© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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