Opinion: A joke in his own courtroom

It was a good move for Polk State Attorney Jerry Hill to send the Florida Supreme Court his scathing grand jury report on disgraced Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Bonanno.

Reading it will give the justices a better idea of how to discipline Bonanno for his still-unexplained act of getting caught after-hours in the dark and empty office of fellow a judge, Greg Holder. Bonanno said he stopped to talk with Holder in an effort to resolve a courthouse feud. The grand jury, which Hill led, concluded that Bonanno gave "incredible and conflicting accounts" for getting caught and had lost the credibility to remain a judge. It said he should resign or be removed.

That's the decision now before the Supreme Court. The state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which polices judges, found that Bonanno "violated the canons of ethics." But it stopped short of recommending his removal, instead urging a public reprimand.

It's difficult to grasp how a judge could violate the canons and still speak with any judicial authority. He becomes a joke in his own courtroom.

Hill said he mailed the justices the grand jury report because the JQC looked narrowly at the impact of Bonanno's misconduct. He is right. Bonanno's more worried about keeping his job than restoring public confidence in the Hillsborough judiciary. That's another reason he should go.

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