A Florida judge is under fire after she asked a domestic violence suspect for cooking advice during a court appearance — including how to grill the perfect steak.
asserted
she → ask → steak
Broward County Judge Allison Gilman bizarrely discussed what Christopher Johnson would cook for her as he appeared in court for his bond hearing on a domestic battery charge on Monday.
asserted
he → discuss → Monday
Johnson, who works as a chef in a Florida sports bar, was arrested for allegedly pulling his ex-girlfriend’s hair and punching her in the mouth, leaving her with a busted lip, according to Sunrise police.
uncertain
who → work → police
“If you were going to cook me a dish, what would it be?” Gilman asked in court footage obtained by WSVN.
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Gilman → go → WSVN
“To make food, I’m gonna start with steak on the grill, man,” Johnson replied.
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Johnson → make → grill
See, I either burn it on the outside and then it’s not cooked enough on the inside, or I just overcook it,” Gilman said.
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Gilman → see → it
Johnson appeared to offer some advice, gesturing as he explained a technique involving turning the steak between the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions.
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he → appear → positions
“You mean turn the steak?” Gilman asked.
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Gilman → mean → steak
“Ten o’clock, two o’clock,” Johnson repeated.
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Johnson → repeat → o’clock
So you keep it on the same side and you turn it.
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you → keep → it
But are you flipping it?
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you → flip → it
Do you flip it?,” Gilman replied.
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Gilman → flip → it
The judge had one more question about getting the steak’s texture just right.
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texture → have → question
“How do you not make a steak chewy?
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steak → make → ?
That’s also another — but that’s for another day, I guess,” Gilman said.
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Gilman → ’ → day
The judge set Johnson’s bond at $1,500 and asked if he could afford it, to which he replied, “Yes.”
uncertain
he → set → which
With those kinds of things you’re cooking,” she said, adding that she’d “have to” visit where Johnson works for a meal.
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Johnson → cook → meal
Gilman’s baffling exchange with Johnson has since drawn criticism from domestic violence advocates.
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exchange → draw → advocates
Dr. Linda Parker, CEO of organization Women in Distress, criticized the discussion as inappropriate given the allegations.
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Parker → criticize → allegations
We’re talking about steak in a domestic violence case?
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We → talk → case
It just tells survivors, ‘I may not get the justice that I need,’” she told the outlet.
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she → tell → outlet
“This is not indicative of how this should look at all and I hope that something gets said to the judge,” Parker added.
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Parker → look → judge
Gilman was elected to the Broward County Court bench in 2020 after earning a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State University and a law degree from St. Thomas University, and previously worked as a criminal defense attorney.
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Gilman → elect → attorney
Johnson was previously arrested for aggravated battery involving the same woman when she was pregnant with their child, according to court records obtained by WSVN.
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she → arrest → WSVN
He has since been released on bond and was ordered to have no contact with the victim.
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He → release → victim
The steak talk was not Gilman’s first food-related courtroom exchange, either.
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talk → relate → ?
Earlier this month, while presiding over an unrelated case involving a man who said he worked at a seafood restaurant, the judge joked that she was not going to get into her “shrimp-making abilities.”
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she → preside → abilities
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