MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Stephen Millan, who serves in the juvenile court system, admitted to using a slur to describe a criminal defendant, and now a bar association of black lawyers wants the Florida Supreme Court to remove him from the bench.
Millan, a former assistant state attorney who grew up in New York, admitted to using the word "Moolie," a short for the Italian word Melanzane, meaning eggplant. It's an Italian-American racial slur with Sicilian roots.
Recommended Videos
"I cannot honestly say that I did not utter the terribly offensive word," Millan reportedly said. "I am embarrassed and genuinely sorry."
The Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Bar Association, formerly the Florida Black Lawyers Association, doesn't believe a 30-day suspension without pay, a public reprimand and $5,000 fine is enough punishment after his admission. Millan was elected for a six year term in 2014. He will serve until 2021.
"We cannot rightly refer to that recommendation as a 'punishment' without sounding sarcastic," the association wrote in a statement released Tuesday. "It is unreasonable to see how any person of color can stand before this judge and expect to receive a fair hearing knowing how he feels and thinks."
The association wants the Florida Supreme Court to ignore The Investigative Panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission's recommendation for the punishment and push him out of the courtroom instead.
"The commission does not possess any evidence that Judge Millan exercised his judicial authority on the basis of racial bias ... Millan has, of his volition, taken significant steps to address his misconduct," Assistant General Counsel Alexander J. Williams wrote about his inquiry. "He has studied and reviewed numerous scholarly articles and publications about racial bias in the court system. He has further, attended at his own expense, a seminar on racial fairness and equality in the court system."
The association is also demanding an inquiry into the rulings that have come from Millan.
"The impact of the words and thoughts from this judge cannot be lost on those who seek justice from our court system ... We fear that his judgment has been clouded and biased," the statement from the association said adding that "until there is an assurance that justice and fairness can come from this judge, he should not be allowed to serve on the bench."
