Orange County Circuit Judge Diana Tennis is resigning from the bench effective Friday, capping a discipline case over hundreds of political contributions she made to Democratic candidates and organizations while sitting on the bench. Tennis, who has served as a judge in Orange and Osceola counties since 2015, was not seeking reelection when her term was set to expire in January 2027.
The resignation follows a dispute over how severely Tennis should be punished. She had agreed to a public reprimand, but the Florida Supreme Court rejected that proposed deal in June, according to WKMG, with the court instead saying it would impose a suspension and fine on top of any reprimand. The Florida Supreme Court's rejection came in a 6–1 order issued on July 2, 2026, and when the parties reported on July 31, 2026, that they could not agree on sanction terms, the case was sent back to the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
A Pattern of Political Giving
The Judicial Qualifications Commission alleged that Tennis's contributions violated Florida's Code of Judicial Conduct, which under Canon 7A(1)(e) explicitly bars judges and judicial candidates from soliciting funds for, paying assessments to, or making financial contributions to any political organization or candidate. She was accused of making more than 900 political contributions in 2025 filings, totaling approximately $29,000 to Democratic candidates and political organizations. In formal ethics filings submitted in September 2025, the commission characterized Tennis as, according to the Tampa Bay Times, “far and away the most prolific offender” in both dollar amount and number of contributions among Florida judges investigated for the violations.
Analysis of Federal Election Commission filings found Tennis made 913 individual donations totaling $29,154.76 between January 2017 and January 2021, a span that made her household the third-highest political giving household in Winter Park and Orlando during the 2020 election cycle. Official charge documents filed in September 2025 listed recipients including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, ActBlue, Emily's List, MoveOn.org, and campaign committees for Joe Biden, Raphael Warnock, Beto O'Rourke, and Bill Nelson.
Judge's Explanation and Defense
Investigative findings filed in September 2025 indicate Tennis explained her donations by saying she mistakenly believed the prohibition on political contributions applied only to state-level candidates and races, not federal campaigns, and that she was unaware several of the contributions had been set up as automatic recurring charges. Every candidate for judicial office in Florida must execute Form DS-DE 83, formally attesting that they have received, read, and understand the requirements of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Tennis's attorney, Warren Lindsey, defended her record on the bench even as the discipline case unfolded. He said Tennis's retirement will be a loss to the community, adding that she is “an outstanding judge who has diligently served the Central Florida community with distinction and integrity for many years.” Her resignation takes effect Friday, according to a court spokesperson cited by the same outlet.
A Long Career in Central Florida Courts
Tennis served in the Osceola County Unified Family Court from 2015 to 2017, moved to Orange County Probate and Guardianship in 2018, and became Administrative Circuit Judge for Family Court in Orange County in 2023, a post she held until her resignation. Before taking the bench in 2015, she worked as an Assistant Public Defender in Orlando after graduating with honors from the University of Florida College of Law in 1992, and later ran a Central Florida private practice focused on criminal defense and family law.
Tennis's case is not the only Florida judicial discipline matter to reach the state's highest court this year. In March 2026, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a public reprimand for Broward County Circuit Judge Woody Clermont after he improperly acted as legal counsel for a friend during a court hearing, underscoring the court's active enforcement of judicial ethics standards across the state's circuits.
