On September 15, 2017 Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal Judges Clay Roberts and Kemmerly Thomas attended a Friends of the NRA fundraiser in Tallahassee and were listed as paid table sponsors on the event program. The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence questions the ability of these judges to remain impartial on any future gun related case brought before them based on their involvement in this fundraiser.
Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct states that judges “shall not use or permit the use of the prestige of judicial office for fundraising or membership solicitation.”
“This event was not related to court or legal matters. It was a fundraiser for a special interest group. It is of the utmost importance that members of the bench show no sign as to what could be taken as a lack of neutrality,” said Patti Brigham, Coalition Co-Chair.
The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is a group of over 100 nonpartisan organizations dedicated to ensuring responsible gun policy in the state.
