John E. Santora, the Chief Judge of Florida’s 4th Judicial Circuit, was ordered by the Florida Supreme Court to resign his position following publication of remarks he made in an interview with a Jacksonville newspaper about Blacks & Jews.
Judge Santora, who will remain a circuit court judge, had told a reporter for The Florida Times-Union last month that admitting black students into formerly white schools “was a step forward for them, yet they couldn’t cope with it because they had a chip on their shoulder.” He also complained that black schoolgirls dressed in a sexually provocative manner.
Despite a public apology from the 69 year-old former state legislator and talk show host, demonstrators led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson picketed, demanding his ouster. Judge Santora had been elected to the post by his fellow judges in 1985.
