JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A group of black ministers who have been calling for Circuit Judge Mark Hulsey to resign over accusations of making racist and sexist comments announced Thursday they are asking the Florida Supreme Court for help getting him removed from the bench until the matter is resolved.
The Judicial Qualification Commission found probable cause that Hulsey made remarks to staff members, including the statement that blacks should get on a ship and go back to Africa. The judge has flatly denied the inappropriate conduct. The chief judge removed Hulsey from the criminal bench and assigned him to handle probate cases until the investigation is complete.
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But pastors want Hulsey removed from all duties until the inquiry into his actions is complete. They are especially concerned because he is running for re-election.
"The electorate of Duval, Clay and Nassau have a right to know if this man is found innocent or guilty by his peers," Pastor Frederick Newbill said. "We believe that it would be unfair for people to go to the polls not knowing this fact."
A spokesman for the Hulsey campaign declined to comment on the issue.
The pastors are still planning a protest at the Duval County Courthouse, but have not said when that will take place.
Also Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi's office asked the Florida Supreme Court to reject a request for an investigation into allegations of racism against Hulsey as a basis for an appeal in the case of Death Row inmate Terrance Phillips. The motion filed last month raised questions about whether Hulsey could have been prejudiced against Phillips, an African-American who was sentenced to death in 2012 for the murders of two people.
Bondi's office filed a five-page document Thursday asking the Supreme Court to dismiss the motion. "Appellant's (Phillips') motion and request to relinquish jurisdiction (for an investigation) is merely a fishing expedition in an attempt to discover some error in his case," the document said.
Phillips' lawyer, Martin McClain, made the request after the state Judicial Qualifications Commission in July filed a notice of formal charges against Hulsey for alleged racist and sexist comments.
News Service of Florida contributed to this report.