Judge Takes Deal For Using Marijuana

FORT LAUDERDALE - A Broward County judge apologized in court Monday for smoking marijuana in a Hollywood, Fla., park, cutting a deal on his misdemeanor drug case but leaving his judicial career in jeopardy.

Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda soon could face tough questions from the state's judicial watchdog agency - ranging from where he got the marijuana to how often he has used the illegal drug. The Judicial Qualifications Commission could recommend that the Florida Supreme Court remove the veteran judge from the bench.

The agreement Korda reached with prosecutors should make Monday his first - and last - court appearance as a criminal defendant. Korda's arrest gained national attention because it came just three weeks after he briefly handled part of the paternity battle over Anna Nicole Smith's daughter.