Fla. judge resigns after admitting to driving drunk

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A judge in Broward County, Fla. has resigned after admitting she drove drunk, reports CBS Miami.

Giselle Pollack's resignation Tuesday came one day after a state judicial panel recommended she be removed from the bench, according to the station.

The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission had been investigating Pollack since her arrest on DUI charges last May. Pollack, who admitted driving drunk and waging a decades long battle with alcohol, fought to keep her seat on the bench. However, the panel said, "We find Judge Pollack presently unfit to remain on the bench. Her past actions simply pose an unacceptable future risk."

The panel cited instances where Pollack appeared drunk in court and left a treatment facility and drove drunk leading to an accident on May 1, 2014, reports CBS Miami.

In their 28-page ruling, the panel commended Pollack's "valiant battle against the insidious disease of alcoholism" and mentioned how she wrote and signed an undated resignation letter that would be provided to Florida's governor if she ever drank again. She was also commended for her work in creating Florida's first misdemeanor drug court.

Pollack's lawyer, Eric Swartzreich, told CBS Miami that it will be up to the Florida Supreme Court whether to accept or deny the panel's finding.

"It's a sad day for her and the people of Broward County," said Schwartzreich, adding that Pollack still intends to assist people who struggle with substance abuse issues.