Judge’s Facebook Tie to Lawyer Didn’t Warrant Recusal

A judge won’t be disqualified from a case merely because she is a Facebook “friend” of a lawyer for a likely witness and potential co-defendant, a Florida appeals court held Aug. 23 (Law Offices of Herssein & Herssein, P.A. v. United Servs. Auto. Ass’n, Fla. Dist. Ct. App., 3d Dist., No. 3D17-1421, 8/23/17).

The ruling deepens a split of Florida authority on a question that arises with increasing frequency: whether judges may preside over cases involving individuals with whom they are connected on social media. Here, the court recognized that social media “friendship” can arise from data-mined suggestions ...