Judge Layne Smith of the Second Judicial Circuit has been directed to appear before the Florida Supreme Court for a public reprimand over comments telling lawyers in a moment of frustration that he’d like to have a deputy “shoot all three of you.”
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The Second Judicial Circuit covers Leon, Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Wakulla and Jefferson counties in the Florida Panhandle.
The state justices issued an order Thursday to impose the reprimand for comments he made during a hearing on Sept. 23, 2025.
The order noted the attorneys couldn’t confirm that a party had been properly served, and Smith stated: “I would like to tell the deputy to pull his gun and shoot all three of you as far as my level of frustration right now. I really don’t want him to do that.”
The court order also notes that Smith, who recused himself from the case on Oct. 2, 2025, also called the attorneys “Keystone Cops” and the “Apple Dumpling Gang.”
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Smith self-reported his behavior on Oct. 21 and issued a public apology.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission in recommending the reprimand stated Smith’s actions violated various canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which requires judges to “perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice.” But the commission also noted Smith had “no prior disciplinary history and has been remorseful and cooperative.”
The justices wrote that “although we accept the Commission’s recommendation, we emphasize that Judge Smith’s conduct fell far below the standard of professionalism that Florida judges owe to those who appear before them.”
Smith was appointed to the Second Circuit Court in 2020 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. He had been a Leon County judge since 2015 and previously served as general counsel for the Department of Lottery and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
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