JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

JQC ROCK

BREAKING BLOG NEWS: MORE BROWARD JUDGES RESIGN ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS!!!!!:

The Broward Blog is reporting that both the Chief Administrative Judges for the civil and criminal divisions (Judges Cowart and Spechler, respectively) have resigned. If this keeps ur their going to have to start pressing traffic magistrates into service to handle calendars.

It just confirms our deepest suspicions that even the Broward Judges don't like going to court in Broward.

THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF JQC ROCK, JI-JUDICIAL INVESTIGATOR.

THE CASE OF THE SAD CHIEF

We were just sitting around the office, staring at some files. Old cold Chinese food containers sat on desks, with chopsticks forlornly sticking out. Maybe someone had a bottle of Jack that found its way into my glass of Coke. Anyway, the phone rang, and I picked it up.

I should have learned my lesson by now.

There was a JI on the other end from Broward. He needed some help.

I hung up the phone and leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes. My head had started to throb. My new partner, the Kid, was still pouring over the Hanzman case, looking for a break. We had brought all the candidates for the 3rd DCA seat in, but they lawyered up. Said nothing. You get used to that in my business, where most suspects are Judges or lawyers.

The Kid got up and walked over. “Something new Rock?”

“Yeah, Kid, you could say that.”

“What’s up.”

“Broward caught a big one. They need our help. Turn on Channel 7, the story will be up in a few moments.”

The Kid flipped on the TV and there was a reporter I knew. I had more than a passing acquaintance with certain soft parts of her anatomy. But that was a long time ago it seemed. Or maybe last week. But this was business. The story came on, and there was our new case: A big picture of Chief Judge Dale Ross. Except he wasn’t the chief no more. Someone had seen to that.

We have a saying here in the JI office- “When your job ends, our job begins.”

The Kid looked at me in astonishment. I nodded my head.

“Yup, Kid. Someone took out Ross, and Broward JI called. They need our help. Lets roll.”

We got to Broward and met up with the JI heading up the Ross case. He had a copy of the Sun Sentinel. It wasn’t pretty. The Kid made a face.

“Hang in there Kid” I growled.

The Broward JI laughed. “Whatssmatta Kid, ain’t you never seen a Judge go down before?”

“Its so messy. I never thought Judicial politics could be that bloody.”

The Broward JI and I laughed. “After the first hundred bodies, it gets easier Kid, hang in there.”

We talked for a few minutes, and I went over the notes the Broward boys had collected. They had their theory of the case, but I didn’t like it. No, I didn’t like it one bit.

There were several Judges who were candidates to replace Ross sitting in the other room.

“They talked?” the Kid asked in astonishment.

The Broward JI nodded. “Yeah. It’s different up here. None of that Miranda crap flies in court, so you can hardly expect a Judge to invoke it when they need it.”

“They all got alibis?” I asked.

“Yup.” The Broward guy said. “But someone will crack. Someone planted those stories in the Sun Sentinel and on TV. I’ll catch the bastard.”

I reviewed the case file in silence for 20 minutes. The Broward guys were barking up the wrong tree. I was sure I was right. I walked back to the bullpen area where a few JIs were sitting around.

“All the Judges alibis check out, right?”

“Yeah” said one JI sadly. “We got nothing.”

“ I wouldn’t say that. You got the guy. He’s right under your nose.” I made a gesture to a picture hanging on the wall.

The JIs looked at me like I was crazy. Even the Kid seemed to think I’d flipped out.

“You can’t be serious Rock.”

“Shut up and listen kid, I’ll learn ya somthin.”

The Broward JIs all gathered around.

“You ever see a stiff off himself by cutting his wrists? What ya see is a bunch of attempts first. They make small cuts to see how it hurts before making a big one. Same thing with Ross. Nobody did this to him; he took himself out. The pattern fits. He starts making strange rulings from the bench. He knows he’s got some problem Judges like Seidlin and Korda and Greene and he does nothing about it.
He wanted to go. He took himself out. I seen it a hundred times.

The Hastings Federal Case in the 80’s; The Courtbroom guys in the 90’s, hell I worked the Huttoe case in the 70’s. They all did it to themselves. Ross is no different. He’s human. He got bored, frustrated. Didn’t want to just quit. That was against his nature. So he took himself out and made it look dirty. He called the Sun Sentinel. He was the source on those Channel 7 stories. He needed a break. He needed a way out. Go drag in those reporters, and you’ll see. I’m right. Come on Kid, we still got the Hanzman case to solve.”

We walked out past a dozen stunned Broward JIs.

The Kid and I drove home in silence. It was well past midnight. When you work my job, you get used to the long hours.


I dropped him off at his apartment. It was one of those new ones on Brickell. He didn’t have a few ex-wives to support, but that would come with time. So would the experience to do this job without getting rattled. But today was a tough one for him.

I stopped the car. He opened the door and muttered something and walked off into the hot Miami night.

A few days later we got a call from Broward. One of the reporters cracked under questioning and admitted Ross was his source for a story. After that it all fell into place. Yeah, Ross took himself out. I could solve Broward’s mess, but I still had a monster stalking 3rd DCA candidates in my own backyard, and I didn’t feel one inch closer to solving that case.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

From the web site Operation Restore Sanity:

Today's Headlines:

Captain Pro Se to Sue Lindsay Lohan??? "She bugs me" bellows irate litigant."

Judge Rothenberg and Judge King to share award as top local jurists!

Ivan Hernandez honored by local vets on Memorial Day.

Practising law without a license: ten must have tips for the pro se litigant.



(C)2007 Fenwick Prods, in association with Operation Restore Sanity. All rights reserved

Anonymous said...

Rumpy- I don't know who is exactly behind this captain pro se stuff, but it's gold I tell ya, gold.

Anonymous said...

How do I get to the web site "operation Restore Sanity"? It sounds hysterical!

Anonymous said...

The web site is a "private" invitation only site. It has encrypted technology and individual passwords for each person, so we can track who logs on. The password is good only for a particular computer registered at a particular IP address, so giving your password to someone else does not work, and if we see an attempt to log on from a different IP address using your password, your password is suspended.

The reasons for this security are obvious: who wants to be sued by a nut job?

From time to time we allow certan posts from our website to be copied. However, the videos, remain strictly a private matter. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

OK I get Judge Rothenberg and Judge Hernandez mock but how does Judge King get into the picture?

This Captain Pro Se stuff has me checking the blog daily for my dose of CPS. Funny stuff!

Anonymous said...

Wouldnt want to be this ineffective attorney!

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D05-1808.pdf

Anonymous said...

I love ya, Rumpy, but it's clear you have way too much time on your hands. Office a little slow?

Anonymous said...

The key to OPS is Fenwick.

Anonymous said...

Ok, how does one get a "private" invitation? I'm a fine upstanding member of the Florida Bar!

Anonymous said...

12:52- Captain pro Se has been representing a person who was evicted by Judge King, and he is up to his old hi-jinks against Judge King. That is why we put that in there.

CPS/ORS writing staff.

Rumpole said...

Sorry - your comment didn't make it. Ever wonder how I know it's you?

Anonymous said...

I can't stand it. I just can't stand it. I am about to file a reverse class action lawsuit by one person against every lawyer in Florida, and if that doesn't work every lawyer in the United States. I'll find you Rumpole, I swear I will if its the last thing I do before they haul me away to the the funny farm.

Anonymous said...

Johnny Freakin Chan!!!!

Anonymous said...

We are a group of lawyers who like to laugh. We have been following the exploits of CPS and one day on a lark we set up a website. one of us played with the video of the stuff from the 3rd dca, set it to music and stuff, and started laughing. We quickly secured the website, and decided to only invite our "friends". That circle of friends is now about 300. That being said, we aren't anxious to give this crazy guy publicity. We do this for our fun, soon something else will come along and we will turn our attention to that. Until then, stay tuned for the further adventures of Captain Pro Se.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

to 12:56 pm

That case you cited to, on the ineffective assistance claim that the defendant will certainly be pursuing was the case of:

Major v. State of Florida ...
tried before Judge Blake.

The attorney who forgot to ask for the Richardson Hearing was someone from Broward by the name of David Patrick Rowe. No idea who he is - but it sure looks like he fell asleep at the wheel on this one.

CAPTAIN OUT ................

Anonymous said...

Ohhh your in trouble now.

Anonymous said...

I check I don't find anything on McNutty and Judge King and I asked around are you sure?

He is not a lawyer how did he represent someone in Court?

Anonymous said...

http://www.courthousescandal.com/

I checked the whois for the domaine name and no sign of CPS. I also checked the docs on the web site and all have a lawyer named Chesrow representing the guy who was evicted.

So ORS staff writer how do you make the connection?

Anonymous said...

If an appellate court determined, or strongly intimated, that I had rendered inneffective assistance of counsel, my first thought would be one of relief for my former client. Taking a ribbing from fellow attorneys is worth the price of justice. And screwing up once does not a bad lawyer make.

Anonymous said...

Talk to the particpants. They will tell you who is involved. You will see...

Rumpole said...

Its Sophistry for an appellate court to state that an attorney who asked for a Richardson hearing didn't protect the record by not objecting. Why doesn't one object? Its a tactical decision. If the lawyer was upset enough about the new -undisclosed evidence to ask for a hearing, how can the appellate court deny the appeal on the basis the record was not protected and the failure to object may have been tactical?

A bad, result oriented, typical 3rd DCA bunch a hooey.

Anonymous said...

Here is a funny one from memory lane...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MUVGmHUJ-VI

Habla Ingles?

Anonymous said...

By the way, 8:50pm, check the record and you will find one George Chesrow has represented one CPS (dum dum da dum!) before. Sort of like "follow the money."

It is a fact that CPS appeared along side the putative tenant at a hearing and spoke on the putative Defendant's behalf because one Judge King allowed him to do so? Why? OPS has not been able to determine that. Maybe Judge King was temporarily disoriented by the trumpet blast.

Deefense said...

I don't think the lawyer asked for a Richardson hearing.

Anonymous said...

Ok ORS writer, I checked the transcript of the hearing posted on www.courthousescandal.com and do not find him as a speaker or even at the hearing as noted on page two of the appearance page.

I checked the dade county court records of CPS and not one of his cases does Chesrow as his Attorney appear and yes I also checked the 3rd DCA appeals filed by CPS and Chesrow is not found.

You might want to put down the crack pipe or give me some information that I can confirm.

Anonymous said...

Hey CPS/10:02 am, are you denying you're helping the tenant in the case? Are you denying that George Chesrow has been your lawyer in the past? Cut the BS. The Courtroom scandal site doesn't have all the transcripts and we never said Chesrow was your lawyer in the Third DCA. We're not stupid. We're real lawyers.

Anonymous said...

LOL. No Ingles, yo soy Laura con perfum.