Psychologist - Judge Needs Therapy But Could Go Back to Work

Orange-Osceola Circuit Judge N. James Turner is not seriously mentally ill, but he's a borderline narcissist who wants to be in control and is lousy at reading social signals from other people, something consistent with someone who "does not get it" when women in his office want him to leave them alone.

That's the conclusion of an Altamonte Springs psychologist who did a formal mental-health evaluation of Turner, 64, earlier this year.

The evaluation is one piece of evidence being evaluated by members of a state panel that must recommend what to do with Turner, strip him of his job or allow him to stay on the bench with some form of discipline.

Turner went on trial in Orlando last week before a six-member tribunal of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, the state agency that polices judges.

It has not yet made public its findings. That is likely weeks away, but it heard four days of testimony about Turner, seven hours of it from Turner.

He admitted violating the state's judicial code several times. He even admitted to things with which he was not formally charged. That includes filing false or incomplete annual reports of his net worth and failing to report to the Internal Revenue Service a $42,000 gift from his mother.

He also admitted breaking other rules, for example serving as his mother's attorney while he was a judge and sending out an email to 15,000 people, asking for campaign donations. Judicial candidates are barred from personally soliciting campaign gifts.

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Judge Turner's Psychological Evaluation: He's Socially Inept, Self-Centered