JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

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Monday, April 23, 2012

MARGARITA REDUX

We asked retired Circuit Judge Scott Silverman for some words about the late Judge Margarita Esquiroz. Judge Silverman, who by the way took that wonderful picture of Judge Esquiroz, had this to say:


Judge Margarita Esquiroz was a trail blazer.  In 1979, at the age 34, she was appointed a deputy commissioner of the Industrial Court of Claims.  In 1984, Governor Graham appointed her to the circuit court where she proudly served until her untimely retirement in 2010.  She was brave, stoic, and classy.  By nature, she was a good person who always sought to do the right thing.

Judge Esquiroz' seniority in the civil division, gave her the honor of presiding in historic courtroom 6-1.  When the time came to commence its restoration, she found herself bounced from courtroom to the next.  She never complained.  During the yearlong restoration, she was supportive throughout, contributed helpful suggestions, and excitedly anticipated the finished product.  She will always have the distinction of being the first jurist to preside in the fully restored courtroom.

Judge Esquiroz understood the significance of the courtroom and the importance the restoration had in highlighting our circuit's rich history.  She was vigilant in maintaining its historical integrity and in protecting it from any abuse.  She was a friend and a colleague.

When I think of Judge Esquiroz, I always picture her at lunch sitting across the table from Judge Manny Crespo at Diana's (just north of the Dade County Courthouse).  The two were always engaged in animated discussions (Manny much more so than Margarita).  She was always smiling and friendly.   Her ego was in check, and I never heard her utter a bad word about anyone.

I will always cherish these memories.



Thank you Judge Silverman. Wonderful words. 


SILENT CANDIDATES: DAY TWO: Arthur Spiegel and Greer Elaine Wallace have thus far declined our invitation for some free publicity to state publicly and without comment on the front page of this blog why they believe Judge Andrea Ricker-Wolfson deserves to be replac
Their silence is deafening. 


Panthers are one win away from advancing to second round of NHL Playoffs (motto: "Nobody cares, so we try harder.")


Something happened to the Marlins in DC Sunday that could never happen here: rainout. Go see the new stadium. It's around the corner from the REGJB and it is spectacular. 


We're sure the Heat either won or lost. We're sure we don't care. 


Final thought on the Secret Service scandal: Does anyone think this is the first time this ever happened? Seems like these agents knew just where to go.  Just saying...


See you in court. 

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Has anyone spotted "The Cohn" and Patty out on the campaign trail yet?

DS said...

From the Atlantic Monthly,
'The Brain on Trial'

If you think genes don’t affect how people behave, consider this fact: if you are a carrier of a particular set of genes, the probability that you will commit a violent crime is four times as high as it would be if you lacked those genes. You’re three times as likely to commit robbery, five times as likely to commit aggravated assault, eight times as likely to be arrested for murder, and 13 times as likely to be arrested for a sexual offense.
The overwhelming majority of prisoners carry these genes; 98.1 percent of death-row inmates do. These statistics alone indicate that we cannot presume that everyone is coming to the table equally equipped in terms of drives and behaviors.
By the way, as regards that dangerous set of genes, you’ve probably heard of them. They are summarized as the Y chromosome. If you’re a carrier, we call you a male.

The Barrister

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/the-brain-on-trial/8520/2/

Anonymous said...

Based on personal knowledge, Judge Cohn and Judge Marino-Pedraza are gearing up to vigorously campaign in order to retain their seats and to continue to provide the same excellent service to the community that they have both provided for the past six years. In it to win it. Further affiant sayeth naught.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

Service to our community. With honor, with trust, with dedication, with virtue, always in a respectful, honorable way. Fill in the blank with Judges that fit the bill:

__________________________.

Cap Out .......

Anonymous said...

Go Cats go! How 'bout them Panthers?,

Anonymous said...

Why should any candidate to an elected office have to justify their running in any particular race?

It's not like Judge Wolfson got elected by the people. She was appointed like so many others lately by committees and don't tell me being politically connected didn't help her and all the others. I've nothing against this judge in particular, but the way you phrase your question sounds arrogant & elitist.

For all the rhetoric against the Taliban, Castro, Chavez, Ortega, etc., you sounded like many in Miami-Dade who would like all our local government & via a dictatorship of who should or shouldn't be in power or running things.

Anonymous said...

every county and circuit judgeship belongs to the people. period. everyone should be opposed....in the future this should happen. a new generation of young lawyers should see to it.

Anonymous said...

I too think more incumbents should be challenged. As long as the challenger is qualified.
And don't say that an incumbent is more qualified becuase they've been a judge. I don't buy it. Then they weren't qualified when they took the bench.
Our country went through a 'cleaning of the house' wtih regard to incumbent politicians recently. Judges should be no different.
And because they can't give opinions, it actually might be more important to have greater turnover.

the trialmaster said...

Not a great qualified group for the 3rd. Hirsch is the most qualified by far. Charles " dont call me Charley" is an interesting candidate, he would be fine. I would like to see Jose Rodriquez get the nod, as I want his seat at La lOGGIAF/K/A/ Sally's where I will check out the ladies as they walk by and hold court with Mercedes and others at the outdoor table.