Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on the Florida House to impeach a Tallahassee judge who briefly released a sex offender onto the streets, resulting in the killing of the man’s 5-year-old stepdaughter.
“To my friends in the Florida House of Representatives, I don’t think what you’ve done is enough,” DeSantis said during a Tampa press conference on Tuesday. “You have the power, and you have sufficient numbers in your chamber, to impeach this judge, Tiffany Baker-Carper.
“Until you start holding these judges accountable, they are gonna continue to find ways to benefit the criminal element,” he added.
Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper via Florida Second Judicial Circuit
The comments were the strongest yet from the governor who’s long-battled who he calls “activist judges.” Although it’s the first time DeSantis – who’s insisted for years that unruly judges must be held accountable – has pushed for impeachment, it comes only days after President Donald Trump publicly called for a federal judge to be impeached.
It takes a two-thirds vote from the Florida House to impeach judicial officers, followed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate to remove them. Republicans make up nearly 70 percent of lawmakers in each chamber.
DeSantis’ impeachment call came Tuesday as he signed Missy’s Law. A priority bill for Attorney General James Uthmeier, the legislation demands judges keep defendants convicted of dangerous crimes in custody instead of freeing them ahead of sentencing.
