Gov. DeSantis-appointed trial judge faces public reprimand for shooting comment

A Second Judicial Circuit judge who made “intemperate and caustic comments” and lamented that he’d like to tell his deputy “to pull his gun and shoot” a trio of attorneys is being ordered to appear before the Florida Supreme Court for a public reprimand.

Released Thursday, the Supreme Court disciplinary ruling tracks the Judicial Qualifying Commission’s recommended punishment  for Judge J. Layne Smith, appointed to the bench by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June 2020. The circuit consists of six north Florida counties: Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla.

“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,” the opinion reads. 

The ruling didn’t set a specific date for Smith to appear before the court  and instead deferred the planning to the clerk of the court.

Court documents show that Smith made most of the comments on Sept. 23, 2025, during a hearing on an order to show cause on a motion to compel discovery in a Wakulla County lawsuit.

The record shows, “Smith became frustrated with the parties’ attorneys after learning they could not confirm that a party had been properly served.

“At one point, Judge Smith told the parties: ‘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.’” Judge Smith also belittled the attorneys, referring to them as the “Keystone Cops” and the “Apple Dumpling Gang,” the record shows.

Smith recused himself from the case about one week later and on Oct. 21, 2025, self-reported his behavior, issued a public apology, and recused himself from any remaining cases involving the parties to that case.