The state Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a former Leon County judge to The Florida Bar, after she was disciplined for operating a private business from her chambers.
Former Judge Judith Hawkins was suspended last year by the Supreme Court after she was removed from the bench in October 2014.
Hawkins filed a petition for reinstatement to The Florida Bar in August and referee Julian Edward Collins recommended this month that she be reinstated.
She lost her judgeship and was disciplined after accusations about operating a business from her chambers and deleting financial records while she was under investigation.
The August petition for reinstatement said Hawkins, 65, “deeply regrets her conduct” that led to the disciplinary case.
“The disciplinary proceedings resulting in the loss of her job and license to practice law have had a profound effect on her life,” the petition said. “It is her goal to conduct herself in the future in such a manner that she will never be accused of impropriety again.”