It is not random code but the specific segment that is giving me trouble.
Until a problem is solved you don't know what is or isn't relevant to the problem. We need to know the context of how the code is used.
I didn't create an SSCCE because it would take longer to do that than to debug this little bit.
But you are not debugging the code. You are asking us to debug the code for you. If you want the help then you need to provide us with the code that demonstrates the problem so we can make sure you are using the code correctly.
I'm using GroupLayout based on advice that at my skill level GridBagLayout is too complex and over-kill for what I want to do.
The opposite is true. GroupLayout is more complicated than GridBagLayout because with the GroupLayout you need to set both the horizontal and vertical constraints. A 3 column grid is simple using a GridBagLayout.
I want the 1st on the left of the JPanel, the 2nd in the center and the 3rd on the right.
The easiest solution would be to use a BoxLayout with "glue" between each component. The Swing tutorial on "How to Use BoxLayout" has an example with the component on the right.