A Broward County judge is facing scrutiny and criticism from advocacy groups after she paused a domestic violence bond hearing to ask a suspect for culinary advice, specifically discussing how to grill the perfect steak.
Judge Allison Gilman engaged in the lighthearted exchange with Christopher Johnson during his court appearance on Monday. Johnson, who is employed as a chef at a Fort Lauderdale sports bar, had been arrested by Sunrise police following allegations that he pulled his ex-girlfriend’s hair and punched her in the mouth, resulting in a busted lip.
Court footage captured by local media shows Gilman interrupting the legal proceedings to ask the defendant a food-related question. “If you were going to cook me a dish, what would it be?” the judge asked.
Johnson responded that he would start with a steak on the grill. The conversation quickly shifted to the judge’s personal culinary challenges. Gilman admitted that she either burns the outside of a steak while leaving the inside undercooked, or simply overcooks it entirely.
Gesturing to explain his technique, Johnson advised turning the meat between the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions. The exchange continued with Gilman asking clarifying questions about the technique, including whether the steak needed to be flipped and how to prevent the meat from turning out chewy, though she noted the latter question was “for another day.”
Before concluding the hearing, Gilman set Johnson’s bond at $1,500. When asked if he could afford the amount, Johnson replied that he could. “Of course you can. With those kinds of things you’re cooking,” Gilman remarked, adding that she would “have to” visit Slackers, the sports bar where he works, for a meal. Court records indicate Johnson has since posted bond and been released under strict orders to have no contact with the victim.
The lighthearted culinary banter quickly drew sharp condemnation from domestic violence advocates who argued that the exchange trivialized serious allegations.
Dr. Linda Parker, chief executive officer of the advocacy organization Women in Distress, slammed the courtroom dialogue as entirely inappropriate given the nature of the charges against the defendant. Parker noted that such remarks send a discouraging message to victims seeking legal protection, suggesting they might question whether they will receive proper justice in the courtroom.
Court records reveal that Monday’s arrest was not Johnson’s first involving the same victim. He had previously been arrested for aggravated battery against the woman during a time when she was pregnant with their child.
Background checks and judicial records show that Gilman was elected to the Broward County Court bench in 2020. Prior to her judicial career, she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State University and a law degree from St. Thomas University, subsequently working as a criminal defense attorney.
The bond hearing exchange was not the first instance of food-related banter from the bench during Gilman’s docket. Earlier in the month, while presiding over an entirely unrelated case involving a man who stated he worked at a seafood restaurant, the judge joked on the record that she would steer clear of discussing her own shrimp-making abilities.
