A Jacksonville judge has been reassigned after an investigative panel found probable cause to bring formal charges against him, officials said.
Judge Mark Hulsey III is accused of inappropriate behavior toward staff and making derogatory comments about women and African-Americans, according to a report from the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
The Commission found probable cause for a formal hearing after it began investigating Hulsey earlier this year.
A report detailing charges against him says Hulsey was discourteous and condescending to his staff and made derogatory comments toward African-Americans.
He referred to female staff members as "cheerleaders who talk during the national anthem," according to the commission's report.
He also made a racially disparaging comment about African-Americans in 2011 saying, "They should go back on a ship and go back to Africa."
When Hulsey found out his assistant was called by JQC, he told her to say that she didn't think he would ever make a derogatory remark about women of African-Americans, according to the report.
[ Document: Notice of formal charges against Jacksonville judge ]
He is also accused of misusing a government employee by exploiting his assistant so that she felt compelled to perform personal tasks such as paying bills, writing letters and making personal phone calls on his behalf, according to the report.
After a post-conviction motions training session, Hulsey gave his instructional notebook to his assistant and told her to "figure it out," according to the report.
The report says his misuse of his assistant's services caused her to routinely take boxes of court files home to complete at night.
Hulsey routinely called on one staff attorney to perform work by calling her directly rather than going through the assignment process for the pool of attorneys, the report says. This resulted in her doing double duty, performing her assigned work and work that he requested, the report said.
When the staff attorney told her supervisor what was happening, Hulsey referred to the supervisor with two derogatory words, according to the report.
Hulsey is also accused of berating a staff attorney who left the courtroom while a jury was deliberating and blaming the attorney for mistakes that he made during the trial, according to the report.
Chief Judge Mark Mahon reassigned Hulsey to assist in the Probate Division amid the allegations.
Hulsey was given 20 days to file a written answer to the charges.
He released a statement about the charges that said, in part:
These false allegations have been a poorly kept secret hanging over me like a cloud for months. I am pleased the JQC has concluded its initial investigation, and that I will now have an opportunity to respond to them in a public forum."
Document: Judge Mark Hulsey responds to formal charges against him