A Broward County judge asked a domestic battery defendant how to grill a steak at his bond hearing, and advocates are objecting.

Small talk from the bench is not misconduct by itself, and nothing reported so far shows the conversation changed the bond. The objection is about what it signals. A woman told police she was punched in the mouth, and the hearing on that accusation turned into grilling tips. Johnson's charge is still only an accusation.

Broward County Judge Allison Gilman is drawing criticism after she spent part of a bond hearing on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, asking a man charged with domestic battery for cooking advice, WSVN reported, citing courtroom video it obtained. The New York Post and the Daily Mail also reported the exchange, which spread widely online this week. WSVN reported that the defendant, Christopher Johnson, was arrested Monday by Sunrise police, who accused him of pulling his ex-girlfriend's hair and punching her in the mouth during an argument, splitting her lip. WSVN reported the arrest report says Johnson "continued to change his statements, and they did not match any of the injuries observed."

After learning Johnson works as a chef, Gilman asked where he worked and what his specialty was, according to WSVN. "If you were going to cook me a dish, what would it be?" she asked. "To make food, I'm gonna start with steak on the grill, man," Johnson answered. The judge replied, "Steak on the grill. Right. See, I either burn it on the outside and then it's not cooked enough on the inside, or I just overcook it." Johnson described turning the steak with his hands, repeating "Ten o'clock, two o'clock," and Gilman asked, "You mean turn the steak?" WSVN reported she later asked, "How do you not make a steak chewy? That's also another, but that's for another day, I guess."

Gilman set bond at $1,500 and asked whether Johnson could pay it, WSVN reported. When he said yes, she said, "Of course you can. With those kinds of things you're cooking," and added that she would have to visit Slackers, the sports bar where he works. The New York Post reported Slackers is a sports bar and grill in Fort Lauderdale. Johnson has since bonded out of jail and was ordered to have no contact with the woman, WSVN reported. The station also reported that, according to court records it obtained, Johnson was previously arrested for aggravated battery involving the same woman when she was pregnant with their child. An earlier arrest is not a conviction.

Dr. Linda Parker, chief executive of the domestic violence organization Women in Distress, told WSVN she was disappointed by what she saw. "Turn the steak? What? We're talking about steak in a domestic violence case?" she said. "It just tells survivors, 'I may not get the justice that I need.'" She added, according to the New York Post, "This is not indicative of how this should look at all and I hope that something gets said to the judge." WSVN reported that some people called the exchange completely inappropriate while others saw it as a refreshing display of kindness, and that the chief judge in Broward said the court is aware of the clip but gave no further comment.

The New York Post reported that Gilman was elected to the Broward County bench in 2020, holds a criminology degree from Florida State University and a law degree from St. Thomas University, and previously worked as a criminal defense attorney. The Post also reported that earlier this month, in an unrelated case involving a man who said he worked at a seafood restaurant, she joked that she was not going to get into her "shrimp-making abilities." No complaint or disciplinary action against the judge has been reported. The woman who reported the assault has not been publicly identified. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.