Palm Beach Circuit Judge Dana Santino should be removed from the bench for political attacks on her opponent in last year's elections, a Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission panel recommended.

The panel found Santino violated the canon of judicial conduct forbidding inappropriate political activity by defending Facebook posts and other campaign materials smearing opponent Gregg Lerman for representing criminal defendants.

“We do not make this recommendation of removal lightly or without due consideration of its severity,” the panel wrote in a report filed Thursday in the Florida Supreme Court. “We are mindful of — and heavy-hearted about — the testimony of Judge Santino's witnesses that she is beloved by many and a judge with a strong work ethic. However, were we to countenance her studied and continued refusal to abide by Canon 7, we would ourselves be undermining the rules governing judicial elections.”