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, August 31, 2011

A NOTE ON PRIVACY

You may have read in the DBR the other day about some Judges who are ill. We have known about some of these Judges being ill for a while now. We have chosen not to write about it in the past. nor will we do so in the future unless and until a particular Judge contacts us and specifically requests that we do so. In this spirit, we have also not published any comments, of which all have been uniformly positive and sending well wishes to those who are ill.

Why?

Two reasons: First, an illness is an intensively private matter and we respect the privacy of the attorney or Judge unless they specifically choose to share their illness with us and our readers. If that does not occur, and it has occurred in the past, then we will respect the privacy of the person who is ill. It is as simple as that, despite the fact that there will be many well wishers who will not get an opportunity to express their feelings to their friend or colleague.

The second reason is a bit more complex.

When you are diagnosed with a series illness, an insidious change can occur unless you are very careful. You walk into a heart institute or a cancer center and you slowly realize the buildings and doctors and nurses exist because of you. The research money and philanthropy that went into creating the specialized center were all done because of the illness you have. And slowly, if you are not careful, the illness comes to define you. This is a dangerous moment. The body follows the mind. What the mind conceives, the body can achieve. To get better, you cannot allow your mind to become the mind of a sick person. And yet your illness fights hard for recognition.

You are no longer the Judge affirmed on appeal, or the lawyer who gave the devastating cross and spectacular closing argument in that big case recently. You meet a friend who has someone with them and you stop to chat and as you walk away you hear your acquaintance saying to their friend "you remember that lawyer I told you who just got got diagnosed with cancer? That was him..." You become the Judge battling cancer, or the lawyer who recently had a serious operation. You lose your identity to the disease. Once that happens, you're almost done.

So we refuse to identify our colleagues who are ill. We choose to continue to interact with Judges and lawyers for the people they are, not the diseases they are battling. And we wish all of our friends and colleagues and even our dear robed readers who may be ill good health in the future and success in remaining who are they are and not becoming their disease.

The body follows the mind. It's a very powerful statement if you follow its implications.

See You In Court.


GOVERNOR SCOTT DOES IT AGAIN!
It pains us to say it, but the Governor has done good again, appointing long time criminal defense attorney Raag Singhal to the Circuit Court in the seat vacated by trader Vic Tobin.



16 comments:

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

The Captain Reports:

North of the Border .... we have a new Judge.

As first reported by JAAB, criminal defense attorney, yes you heard right, criminal defense attorney Raag Singhal finally got the call he has been waiting for. After 15 rejections, Gov. Scott has appointed Raag to the Circuit Court bench to replace Vic Tobin.

Those of you lucky enough to know Raag, know that he is smart, compassionate, a great attorney, and will be an even greater asset to the bench.

Congratulations Judge Singhal

Cap Out .....

(I posted this five minutes ago on the previous thread. Thanks to Rumpole for also sharing the information on a great choice).

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

The Captain Reports:

Yes, Judge Amy Steele Donner has resigned. She has been a Circuit Court Judge for 27 years having been first elected in 1984.

Her term was to run in 2014 in Group 5. The Governor will appoint her replacement and that person will not have to run in the 2012 election. They will effectively be on the bench for about 2 1/2 years before they face the voters in 2014. Expect her replacement to be named around December of this year.

Also, expect at least one other jurist to announce their retirement from the bench sometime this Fall.

Cap Out .....

Grey Tesh said...

I knew you were a student of Napoleon Hill.

Anonymous said...

Napoleon solo , more likely !

Anonymous said...

Well said. You, sir, are a mensch.

Anonymous said...

Raag is such a great choice. He was in front of me on a trial and he is so skilled in the evidence code and is such a class act. I am so happy for him. He will be such a pleasure for lawyers and parties to appear before.

On the other hand, Judge Amy Steele Donner was so nasty and mean and ill tempered to all - including to her fellow colleagues. I once saw her in a retail store yelling at an innocent sales person and saying to her "you address me as Judge Donner - not Mrs. Donner". It was brutal to watch.

Hence, it is so refreshing to see Raag, a great lawyer and future super star on the bench arise ... and a terrible and mean spirited judge like Donner leave. Good riddance...

I rarely will ever have anything negative to say about anyone, but I can honestly say as a colleague, she is not a nice person and had no business judging people.

Rumpole said...

Please read the post carefully. I WILL NOT publish your comments, no matter how well intentioned, that name the judges who are ill. There have been a flood of comments singling out particular judges and wishing them well. Those are very nice thoughts. Pick up a phone and call them. I will NOT publish them for the reasons I have already written about.

Nice comment on Raag El Capitan.
FYI he was also in the running for Regional Counsel Broward- RC4 I believe they call it

Anonymous said...

Re Raag:

"...he is so skilled in the evidence code" Irrelevant

"class act" and "compassionate" Relevant

But he is all three

Anonymous said...

Thanks. Here's to those among us fighting their own, very personal battle.

Not reading early posts said...

But I just want to send my prayers...

Anonymous said...

Napoleon Dynamite actually.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

CCCRC (4th DCA):

James Anthony Ermacora,
Phillip J. Massa,
Anuraag (Raag) Singhal,
Debbie Maken,
Nadine L. Girault Levy,
Algeisa M. Vazquez,
Cynthia L. Comras.

Gov office still has not selected a replacement for Mr. Massa

Cap Out ....

Anonymous said...

Well said Rumpy

Anonymous said...

Thank you for showing respect for people with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Anonymous said...

Donner didnt have to be nice to anyone or act judical. Her husband bought her seat loaning her campaign almost one million bucks. No one would run against her because she would spent a fortune to keep a job that pays 160k a year. The bench is improved greatly without this mean-spirited douche.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

The Captain Reports:

Happy Birthday Judge Gelber ....92 years young today and still going strong.

Cap Out .....