A federal judge found Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in civil contempt Tuesday after he snubbed a court order in a high-profile immigration case and then boasted about it in interviews.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote that Uthmeier offered "a series of implausible interpretations of the language he used" to argue he was complying with the order and that those interpretations were not believable.
"Litigants cannot change the plain meaning of words as it suits them, especially when conveying a court’s clear and unambiguous order," Williams wrote, ordering Uthmeier to file biweekly reports showing he's complying with her order or risk further court actions.
Uthmeier's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
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Williams has been presiding over a case challenging immigration laws signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis that make it a misdemeanor for anybody in the country illegally to enter or re-enter the state. She issued a restraining order in April barring enforcement, and Uthmeier sent out a notice to state agencies informing them of the order, adding that he disagreed with it and intended to appeal.
Five days later, on April 23, he sent the law enforcement agencies a second notice, saying his office had submitted a court filing challenging the restraining order.
"Judge Williams ordered my office to notify you of the evolving scope of her order, and I did so," he wrote. "But I cannot prevent you from enforcing [the challenged laws], where there remains no judicial order that properly restrains you from doing so. As set forth in the brief my office filed today, it is my view that no lawful, legitimate order currently impedes your agencies from continuing to enforce Florida’s new illegal entry and reentry laws."
Williams asked why she shouldn't find Uthmeier in contempt, and he contended that he hadn't violated her order because he hadn't enforced the new laws and that he had notified state agencies about her order.
Williams noted that he struck a far more defiant tone in media interviews.
"This judge is considering whether or not to hold me in contempt. But I am not going to rubber-stamp her order. I’m not going to direct law enforcement to stand down on enforcing the Trump agenda and carrying out Florida’s law," Williams quoted him as saying in a May 6 interview.
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"I'm not going to bow down," he added.
In another interview two days later, Uthmeier said that "she’s issuing this order and saying you gotta tell them all to stand down. I’m not gonna do that."
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Williams said the comments were "relevant" because "Uthmeier’s repeated reinforcement of his message that law enforcement is not bound, intentional or not, increases the chance of harm from his continued noncompliance."
"To be clear, the Court is unconcerned with Uthmeier’s criticism and disapproval of the Court and the Court’s Order. But respect for the integrity of court orders is of paramount importance," Williams wrote.
She said he "is free to broadcast his continued appeal of the Court’s injunction and his view that the Court’s rulings are erroneous. However, when instructed to inform law enforcement that they are proscribed from enforcing an enjoined law, he may not tell them otherwise."
She ordered him to file biweekly reports on whether there have been any arrests or detentions under the new laws. "Finally, if Uthmeier does not comply with these remedial sanctions, the Court will consider further sanctions, including fines and fees to compensate Plaintiffs for costs of enforcing the Court’s order."
