A Florida judge accused of abusing her power and mistreating victims in her courtroom has resigned from the bench.
Putnam County Judge Anne Marie Gennusa submitted her resignation on October 3, effective October 31, in a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, who appointed her to the position in 2023.
The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) found probable cause that Gennusa violated multiple judicial canons, including those requiring judges to uphold the law, maintain impartiality, and treat people with dignity and courtesy.
According to the JQC’s notice of formal charges, Gennusa exhibited a ‘pattern of abusing [her] contempt authority’ by overstepping her power and improperly detaining people during court proceedings.
In one case, she ordered a female victim handcuffed, and in another, she jailed a mother of already-traumatized children.
‘Your unwillingness or inability to govern yourself with the dignity, courtesy and patience required by the Code, as well as your casual and illegal use of your contempt power… raise serious questions about your fitness to serve as a judicial officer,’ the JQC wrote in a document signed by Assistant General Counsel Hugh R. Brown.
Gennusa – who posed in her formal headshot wearing $800 pearl Chanel earrings – presided over misdemeanor criminal and criminal traffic cases at the Putnam County Courthouse in Palatka, part of Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit, which also covers Volusia, Flagler, and St. Johns counties.
In her resignation letter, Gennusa thanked DeSantis for his trust but said she was leaving to return to private practice – where she spent nearly three decades before joining the bench.
Hellbound and Down 