Nancy Jacobs Removed

Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Nancy Jacobs used her judicial office to solicit an attorney to run against a sitting judge she personally disliked -- recruiting a primary challenger against a colleague for reasons that had nothing to do with that judge's fitness for office, according to findings from the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission. The panel's findings also covered her conduct during her own 2022 campaign against Judge Jared Smith, when she called Smith a "bigot," said he "is not a good person," and claimed he hates Jews -- after Smith had commented that she "needs Jesus." Jacobs also failed to adequately monitor her own campaign's social media accounts, per the panel's findings. She raised a First Amendment defense to the campaign-speech allegations specifically, arguing her statements were protected political speech; the panel deferred that specific question to the Florida Supreme Court rather than resolving it itself. The JQC panel recommended Jacobs's removal from office in April 2025. Rather than contest it before the Florida Supreme Court, she resigned at the end of May 2025.