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.

Monday, August 23, 2010

RUMPOLE ENDORSES

GOOOOOOOD MORNING MIAMI!!!

Samantha Ruiz-Cohen over Judge Peter Adrien.

This is a no-brainer. Ms. Ruiz-Cohen is eminently qualified. Mr. Adrien is not. If you read the appellate opinions on the cases Adrien has presided over, what emerges is the picture of a vengeful man not learned in the law. He was reversed for a vindictive sentence of some 30 years and he was reversed for not recusing himself from a case where one party was represented by an attorney who sued him in the last election. These actions do not bespeak an independent jurist who merely works to seek justice. In fact, those cases and others show just the opposite. We remember being in court a few years ago and watching the Judge belittle and yell at an attorney who told him that he served a police officer through the liaison unit in the REGJB. Again and again the Judge told the lawyer that was not the procedure for subpoenaing a police officer for a deposition. He was unrepentant when attorneys from both sides interjected and told him otherwise. In many cases we observed in his division we saw not only an ignorance of the law, but an inability to learn. He also had a nasty penchant for taking people -including in one notorious case- witnesses- into custody for de minimis reasons.

Reporting on the upcoming judicial elections the Herald had this to say on Sunday about Adrien: Elected in 2004, Adrien was ranked worst of all candidates in the Dade County Bar poll, with 55 percent describing him as unqualified. He did not return several calls seeking comment.


Judge Flora Seff over Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson. This one is also easy. Judge Flora Seff brought to the bench as an attorney over twenty years of trying complex and serious cases. Ms. Gonzalez-Paulson is not even a close second in a comparison of experience and dedication to public service that Judge Seff has shown.

Judge Edward Newman over Manny Alvarez. This one is not so easy. Manny Alvarez brings a tremendous amount of experience to his quest to be a Judge. And there are many many Judges against whom we would have endorsed Mr. Alvarez. But not in this race. Quite simply Judge Newman has done a good job and he does not deserve to be replaced.

Monica Gordo and Robert Kuntz.

No endorsement. Or endorsement of both.

How nice is it to see two qualified individuals run for Judge?

Both candidates bring a different type of experience to their quest for the bench. Ms. Gordo brings the kind of trial experience that being an ace prosecutor produces. But Mr. Kuntz brings a varied life experience including a prior career as a journalist that would serve him well on the bench. We wish them both well, and either way Miami-Dade wins.

Well there you have it. Rumpole's much anticipated judicial endorsements.

Disclosures: we received no money or services in kind from any candidate. The cheese at Mr. Kuntz's fundraiser was better than the stale crackers at Judge Seff's. We once won a whole bunch of money when an aging Ed Newman picked up the blitz late in the game against the Saints allowing the Dolphins to score and cover. Soon to be Judge Hirsch offered us his entire motion bank on disk and an autographed Penguin Classics paperback copy of his previously published book with a new afterward from a distant ancestor of President Warren G. Harding if we removed the post about him this weekend, but we have so far proved immune from his enticements.







24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Every Anglo and Jew decries the role of "Ethnic politics" when it comes to "Hispanics" yet when faced with a choice between a "mean,arrogant ,arguably unintelligent" Ed Newman all the Jewish lawyers run to support him instead of the clearly superior candidate........I understand friendship and all but don't you all see the hypocrisy?.....Then ,of course, there is Flora Seff the nastiest woman to inhabit the bench since Shyrlon McWhorter and a prosecutor with a robe ...all of you anglo and Jewish RGJB denizens support her. Why ? Ethnicity again, I would submit
And lets not even mention Broward!

Then there is this Post:
"Rump,

I see the polls on the side of the blog. They have Seff, Newman and Ruiz-Cohen winning pretty handily. Gordo in a squeaker. I got a funny feeling those polls will reflect the results on Tuesday.

Sunday, August 22, 2010 11:37:00 AM"

Well sir or madam The Justice Building Blog does not an electorate make ....... I suggest that these candidates "Buckle Their Chinstraps"

Have a Nice day

Anonymous said...

I AGREE WITH YOU RUMP BUT, HAVE YOU BEEN IN FLORA'S COURT? REALLY?

SHE SIMPLY HAS NO BUSINESS BEING IN A COUNTY COURTROOM. SHE HAS A ROTTEN DISPOSITION AND IT SHOWS DAILY AND THE DEFENSE NEVER WINS, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE CLEARLY RIGHT.

ABOUT ED.... WE LIKE ED BUT, HAVE YOU SEEN HOW HE BULLIES EVERYONE ON A MONDAY MORNING?

ONE OTHER THING, WHY ARE WE THE TAXPAYERS PAYING FOR ED AND FLORA TO TAKE AN ENTIRE MONTH OFF TO CAMPAIGN? ED MAY HAVE SAVED UP ENOUGH VACATION TIME BUT,FLORA HAS ONLY BEEN ON THAT JOB A FEW MONTHS. SO, IF FLORA MAKES $145,000.00/YEAR THAT MEANS YOU AND I PAID HER ABOUT $13,000.00 TO CAMPAIGN. THAT IS NOT RIGHT!

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

There was mention that the polls on this blog will closely resemble the final numbers on Tuesday night.

Don't be surprised if Adrien does a lot better than our little group expects.

Kendrick Meek is running for US Senate and that is driving a ton of African Americans (is that the PC term now?) to the polls.

Meek's seat in the House has also attracted nine candidates for the primary (and eight are black). This will result in even more AA's voting on Tuesday.

I still think Ruiz Cohen wins the election. But it will not be a landslide like the poll on this blog shows.

Cap Out ....

Anonymous said...

Seff is a bad choice Rump. You obviously have never practiced in front of her. She is rude and makes horrible rulines.

Anonymous said...

Yes, but, Meek has no real opposition right now as this is just a democratic primary.

Anonymous said...

Look at that. Captain knows how to read comments from others and then adopts them as his own. Batman predicted that Adien could win months ago and I have stated here exactly what the captain said on several occassions. C'mon Cap be original or give credit to others for your thought process.

And to 11:29 - where have you been all summer? Has your head been up your ass? Meek has no oppostion? Have you not heard of Jeff Greene?

Adrien wins and we all suffer for it. But you all wanted Samantha.

Anonymous said...

Hey 8:23- take a Xanax.

By the way, why does Alvarez keep saying that Newman is running on his celebrity? The guy has been a judge for 15 years. He makes it sound like Lady Gaga is running for Mayor.

the TRIALMASter said...

the TRIALMASTER's choices: Alvarez over Newman;Cuntz over Gordo" Seffs opponet over her.Greene over the ex-trooper.

old guy said...

Trialmaster been smoking the Maui Wowee??

Anonymous said...

9:10 - welcome to the world of judicial elections. Think that is bad, what about members of congress. I bet ONE HALF of their time on a yearly basis is spent raising money for the next campaign, if not more than that. All that work is on your dime. By comparison, one month off before an election is peanuts. To solve the problem?: eliminate judicial elections altogether.

Anonymous said...

This would not have happened if the Chief Judge had only set Ed Newman to branch court long ago, (where he has belonged) as many of us asked him to.

Fake Mendy said...

Ed gets sent to branch and we get Patti Marino-Culppepper-Pedraza or (gasp) Robin Faber? I'll take Special Ed over those choices.

Ed absolutely campaigns on his "celebrity". Just listen to any stump speech...every one starts out by saying "I have served this community with the Miami Dolphins..."

Only when he's at the Aventura Jewish Center that he says "When I was Bar Mitzvah in Brooklyn...."

Anonymous said...

I could never vote for Flora Seff. No judicial temperament. Nasty as nasty can be, same as when she was as ASA.

Anonymous said...

Rump,

I am a loyal reader and have never found it necessary to post anything as I normally agree with most of your positions.

When it comes to Flora Seff, although I also believe that she is a better qualified candidate as she brings so many years of experience, her inablility to remain neutral is something that many are overlooking. Who cares how much experience she has if she is still a prosecutor under that robe. It is simple to discredit her opponent because she lacks the experience that Judge Seff has, but as a lawyer that routinely appears before her I cannot vote for her (Seff).

If she is acting the way she is acting (rude, unpleasant, bias, unfair,etc.) during an election year, God help us if she wins during the non-election years.

Anonymous said...

Flora Seff is absolutely the worst judge. She is extremely rude and does not understand the basics. When you go to her courtroom, you will have to explain every detail of your case and why you are requesting your first continuance. I mean seriously, just grant the first continuance- it is probably because the client has not finished paying and we canot state that on the record. This is what happens when you have a lifetime prosecutor with no real life experience get on the bench. Judge Seff, even if you get reelected- please get some advice from other judges and relax a bit.

Anonymous said...

If either lose, Manny Alvarez and/or Rick Scott will need to move to North Carolina at least in order to avoid being indicted by Nasty Ed Newman and Bill McCollum. Democracy sucks when you are dealing with nasty incumbents.

Anonymous said...

Word has it that Dave Aronberg is quitting the Democratic primary race for Attorney General and now an independent. He will thereby skip the primary and run again against the Democratic and Republican winners. Has anyone heard about this?

Anonymous said...

If I were Adrien, i'd be thanking my lucky stars that lawyers make a very small part of the miami electorate.

Anonymous said...

Can someone tell how Bay county has jurisdiction in the Woods divorce. one has to be a resident for 6 months before filing and I do not believe either Tiger or his ex were residents of Bay County.

Anonymous said...

why does Newman belong in branch court?

Anonymous said...

"a ton of African Americans" really, captain, "a ton"

Sounds exactly like that racist Judge in Lousiana last year who said "I have stacks of black friends" yep "stacks" is what he said when he refused to marry a black man and a white woman.

Anonymous said...

Seff was a fine lawyer and is a good judge. Yes, her decisions are different than other CC judges. Why is that? Could it be that, unlike most others, she spent 20+ years trying cases (including a huge number of homicides), actually knows the law and makes correct legal rulings? Could it be that she doesn't pander to the defense bar to get donations to support her campaign?

Naw, couldn't be.

;-)

BTDT (Not a prosecutor; just someone who gives a damn about the community)

PS----I agree with all four of your endorsements/non-endorsements Rump. Nice job, as usual.

Anonymous said...

I love it when lawyers who never stop foot in a county courtroom beg us to endorse someone like Flora Seff when they have no idea how miserable she is to deal with.

I go to county court daily and I can tell you that Flora and Ed really should not be judges.

I speak from mucho experience.

Anonymous said...

8:48 - Like most lawyers you confuse "jurisdiction" with "venue". In order for the court to have jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter, one or both must reside in the State of Florida for 6 months prior to the filing of the Petition. The place where you file is venue. Since there was an agreement as to the venue of the matter, and no one is moving to change it, the divorce can be filed and finalized in Bay County. Does that explain it?

There is a remedial course in civil procedure available for CLE oline, if you care to take it.