Former Palm Beach Circuit Judge Barry Cohen, who officially retired in 2016 only to keep his robes on to serve as a senior judge until earlier this year, died Sunday at his home in Wellington. He was 74.
Cohen moved from his native New York to Florida, where he graduated from the University of Miami School of Law. He joined the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office in 1971 before moving to the Public Defender’s Office in 1978. In 1980, Cohen moved tp private practice until 1990 when he won a County Court judgeship and took the bench in January 1991.
Cohen was remembered as a principled liberal during his time on the bench. When the Florida Supreme Court issued a reprimand for comments he made on the bench that called his impartiality into question, the Palm Beach Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers responded to the reprimand by naming an award after him. The Barry M. Cohen Champion of Justice Award is given to lawyers who show “courage and integrity in seeking justice and fairness in criminal law.”