Saturday Rewind: Auditioning for Trump?
A Florida judge who advanced Trump's lawsuit against the Pulitzer Board seeks federal judicial confirmation.
While presiding over a defamation lawsuit of great interest to Donald Trump, a Florida judge had secretly been lobbying for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.
This week, the Freedom of the Press Foundation demanded that an independent state agency tasked with clamping down on judicial misconduct investigate what they call a clear “conflict of interest.”
Nominated for an appointment to the Southern District of Florida, Judge Jeffrey Kuntz has been serving as the chief judge of Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal.
In late 2024, Kuntz had been assigned to an appeal of Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board for not rescinding their awards for reporting on the Russia investigation. He sat on that panel with his fellow state appellate judge Ed Artau.
At the time, both had been lobbying for a nomination to the federal bench without any apparent disclosure to the Pulitzer Board or the public.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation’s advocacy chief Seth Stern filed complaints against both judges. Artau was recently confirmed in a party-line vote. Kuntz’s nomination remains pending, and the complaint against him was filed earlier this week.
“The core ethical concern is straightforward: Kuntz presided over a lawsuit brought by the same individual whose approval was necessary to secure the federal judicial appointment Judge Kuntz was actively seeking,” the complaint states. “He did not recuse himself or did not disclose his conflict to the parties. He ruled in favor of the party from whom he was seeking a substantial personal benefit, overlooking glaring weaknesses in his case. These facts raise serious concerns under the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct and warrant a full investigation by this Commission.”
Kuntz’s testimony on the road to confirmation went viral for his refusal to directly answer Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-Ct.) questions about whether former President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
At the time of the recording of the video below, Kuntz’s confirmation vote had been slated for Thursday. The confirmation vote has since been postponed.
Free subscribers can watch the interview with Seth Stern on YouTube here — or all of the other videos on the All Rise News playlist of Legal AF.
All Rise News paid subscribers can watch this video and others ad-free below.
Below the Paywall:
* More on judicial conflicts of interest with Seth Stern.
* Prosecutor Mary Moriarty discusses her criminal charges against a second ICE agent.
* Ex-N.J. Attorney General Matt Platkin discusses his legal brief opposing Trump’s slush fund.
