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, December 19, 2012

IN REMEMBRANCE

UPDATE #2 Robert Bork, whose nomination hearings changed the way people used sentate confirmations- and not for the better- has died.

UPDATE: Lots and lots of new names added after the original post.

At this time of year thoughts turn to those who have been here before us and have since departed. Many of those who graced our courthouse and this earth planted seeds which grew into giant oak trees.  These are the men and women who made the practice of law in Dade County a great thing. 
So in no particular order, except for the first, we remember Judges and attorneys we knew.  Please email or post your remembrances and we will put those names on the front of the blog.
Ed Cowart- the first among many.  Rob Pinero. Manny Crespo. Gerald Klein. Phil Knight. 
Sy Gaer. Ned Davis. Wilkie Ferguson. Henry Oppenborn. Julio Jimenez. Henry Leyte-Vidal. Fred Nesbitt. 

Ellen Morphonios. Arthur Snyder. Stanley Goldstein (founder of the first drug court in the nation!).  Calvin Mapp. Tom Carney. 
George Orr. Gemma Cosentino. Greg Wenzel, who died in the line of duty of serving his country and was a former dade PD. 

Harold Solomon. Sydney Shapiro. Richard Hickey. Richard Gerstein. Paul Mendelson. Margarita Esquiroz. Dixie Chastain. Mattie Belle Davis. Norman Roettger. David Dyer. Maxine Cohen-Lando. Michelle Block. Ed Newbold. John Tanksley. Morton Perry (a real gem of a man) C.P. Rubiera- who loved to mentor young attorneys,  and one of our favourites: Dominick Koo. Joe Durant. Gabe Martin. Bill Meadows- another gem of  a man.

Harry Prebish (founded FACDL Miami Chapter along with Daniel Pearson), Daniel Pearson,  Carol Guralnick- somebody should write a book about her, Gino Negretti (the cuban rocket), Paul Pollack. Rodney Thaxton- amazing PD, FACDL gives an award in his name. Carl Vizzi. Danny Velaos.

David "Sterno" Stern. Ted Klein- they don't make them any better than Ted, Arthur Maginnis. Vince McGhee- brother of Rayfield McGhee, Arthur Winton. Bill Schurr. Meek Robinette- yes you young ASAs and PDs, there once was a judge named Meek. Murray "The K" Klein. Henry Carr. Harvey Baxter, who ran for judge with the slogan "Put a Mensch on the Bench." He won. 

David Paulus. Ira Dubitsky, Terry McWilliams, Jeff Raffle, Kirk 
Haas, Norman Haft, Max Kogan, John Durant, Milton Farrell  Jr.
Max Engle. Stuart Mishkin. Steve Chaykin- a great lawyer and a great man who died way too young.
And ditto for Steve Levine, a judge who was cherished and taken from us way too soon. Joe Eaton. Lenore Nesbitt, Sidney Aroncvitz, James Payne, George Gold,Tom Duff, Kirk Marmar and John Komorowski.

Jeff Samek- led the defense in the Country Walk trial. 
Adele Faske- the first woman ASA.  Walter Gwynn. Ben Cohen. Rosemary Jones. Paul Louis. Bill Ferguson. 

These names are in no particular order and we are sure we have forgotten many who deserve to be remembered. Think of this as a start. Please email us or post a name and we will put it up. 

See You In Court. 





90 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll be sure to throw some business to Dennys. Any place boycotted by AM deserves to be patronized.

Anonymous said...

Maxine Cohen Lando - wonderful judge who went to the courtroom in the sky too soon.

Anonymous said...

Maxine Cohen lando

Anonymous said...

Couldn't forget the following attorneys that are no longer with us: Harry Prebish, Carol Guralnick, Gino Negretti, Paul Pollack,

DS said...

Max ( Maxine Cohen Lando)

Former ASA Michelle Block

Dan Bradley

Rumpole said...

I knew I would miss an important one. I will get Judge Lando up as soon as I can. And I well remember Asa Michelle Block. A wonderful young woman.

Anonymous said...

Some judges that are no longer with us and worked at the REG Justice building: Ed Newbold, Richard Hickey, John Tanksley, Morton Perry, C P Rubiera, judge "Smitty", Dominick Koo, Joe Durant

Anonymous said...

Carlos Martinez , Rory Stein

DS said...

For those of you who do not know who Dan Bradley was: Dan was on Pres. Carter's National Legal Aid Commission. He resigned as to not embarres the President when he came out of the closet.
That was when It was a brave thing to admit you were Gay ( the late 1970s).
He came to Miami and formed DuFresne & Bradley w/ Elizabeth Dufresne.
Dan also was one of the first that admitted he had the Gay Cancer - what latter became known as AIDS , in the mid 1980s. He died a terrible, lingering death, but always was a gentleman and a fighter for poor, working and middle class people to have good legal reppresentation.
I am proud to say I worked for his firm.
DS

Anonymous said...

Ellen Morphonios? Brush up on your history Rump.

Anonymous said...

Gabe Martin
RIP kid.

Tom Risavy said...

Add Bill Meadows to the list.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

Fast Gerry Klein

Cap Out

Rumpole said...

8:38 What about Judge Morphonios? I tried a bunch of cases before her. She gave me a hard time like anyone else, and we became friends.

Rumpole said...

Klein is in the first sentence of judges.

Anonymous said...

Ned "the machine" Levine. Tried seventeen jury trials in 22 weeks. Most before Tom Scott. Won 15 of em, and one lesser.

Anonymous said...

APD Rodney Thaxton, APD Danny Velayos, APD Joe Reyes.

Calli said...

Rodney Thaxton.

Tom Didato.

I miss Rodney's booming laugh and his infectuous passion to provide the best representation to indigent clients.

Tom always had a kind word and a smile, even when it was not easy.

Neither suffered fools. Both were great and kind people, and great lawyers.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


The Captain Reports:

Rodney should be high on the list. FACDL has the Rodny Thaxton "Against All Odds" Award and it is wll named.

Another Judge that we lost way way too soon was Judge Steven Levine. Juvenile Court Judge Extraordinaire and an absolute gentlemen of a guy. No one ever had a bad word to say about him.

Cap Out .....

Anonymous said...

Robert Bork.

Rumpole said...

Outside out of Judge Cowart, there is no rhyme or reason or level of importance to a person's place on the list.

Anonymous said...

Is Terry McWilliams or Williams? I forgot.

Anonymous said...

R.I.P. to a person who inadvertantly became to be a privileged friend, Judge Steven Levine. Is his J.A. Karen around still ? He did not let the robe inflate his ego. Good and fair man.

Anonymous said...

Your blog brought back memories of Carlos Benito Fernandez (father of our State Attorney and former municipal judge) represented many of the "boliteros" and Cuban freedom fighters. Also many old timers might remember Marvin Emory and his partner Carr. Who can forget Norman Haft. Another old time Judge Arthur Maginnis.

DS said...

Joe Reyes
Vince McGhee

Anonymous said...

Ted Klein

Anonymous said...

Arthur Winton

Anonymous said...

There was a male ASA with the last name Stern. A heavy smoker but a really nice guy.

Anonymous said...

Wilkie Ferguson

Anonymous said...

Carl Vizzi, Patrick Oliver former PD's

Anonymous said...

Bill Schurr, ASA, a true mensch (there's an award named after him at the SAO).

BTDT

Anonymous said...

The Marshall at the Third. He was such a nice guy!

Anonymous said...

Hey 3:53. A heavy smoker but a really nice guy? What does one have to do with the other? I know smoking is de riguer but damn, a man ain't a man unless he can openly sport at least two bad habits. Come on!

Anonymous said...

Henry Carr, Alfred "Fred" Nesbitt, Meek Robinette, Jose Dorta, Calvin Mapp.

Anonymous said...

Harvey Baxter.

Rumpole said...

Trivia - which judge did Baxter beat?

Art Koch said...

For What it is Worth

I enjoy this blog but must admit I do not read it regularly.

Recently, while perhaps bored, I read that I had 'left' the PD office or was 'asked to do so' (words to that effect) and that I was now 'selling carpets'.

No, I did not get fired nor was I told to leave.

I retired and upon retirement my avocation became my vocation.

I am now a dealer in antique nomadic rugs and related tribal weavings.

I spend six month of each year in the Mediterranean Turkish village of Fethiye and the balance, sadly, in South Florida.

You can visit me at www.herat.com

DS said...

Baxter beat Ted Mastos.
Baxter's slogan was "
Put a Mensch on the Bench. "
The Year was 1978,
Carol King Guralnick and Jerry Tobin also ran for (different) Judgeships that year.
DS

Rumpole said...

First- reading the blog more regularly has been shown to cure what ails you. Second- we're pretty big in Turkey. They're crazy about us in Ankra.

Enjoy your retirement.

Anonymous said...

Shockett

Anonymous said...

David Paulus RIP brother.

Anonymous said...

Paul Mendelson, one of the smartest and nicest persons to work at the SAO. Well respected by everyone.

Anonymous said...

Ira Dubitsky, Terry McWilliams, Jeff Raffle, Kirk Haas, Norman Haft,Max Kogan,John Durant,and Milton Farrell Jr.

Secret Judge said...

I do not believe that Harvey Baxter defeated Ted Mastos. Judge Baxter was NEVER a Circuit Judge. Judge Mastos was a Circuit Judge and if memory serves me correctly, was defeated by Henry Ferro. I further believe that Judge Baxter was APPOINTED to his position on the County Court. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but NOT to their own versions of the facts.

Anonymous said...

ASA Edrick Baker

Anonymous said...

My friend, and late ASA David Paulus.

Anonymous said...

Harvey Baxter, what a hoot, he used to fine you if you chewed gum in his courtroom.

Anonymous said...

As a friend of David Stern,I can attest that he had more than one bad habit.
But the smoking killed him; he died a horrible, lingering death. I last spoke to him about a week before he died. He was, in the lucid moments, resigned to his fate.

Anonymous said...

BILL COLSON

Rumpole said...

DS is right Secret Judge is wrong.
Ted was originally appointed to the county court. Baxter beat him when his seat was up for election. Then Janet Reno helped Ted get an appointment to the circuit bench, and there he stayed until....

Anonymous said...

Stuart Mishkin, the ol' riverboat gambler.

DS said...

Ted was running to keep the County Court seat he was appointed to. Baxter played the Yidisha Card against Ted in the N.E. Dade Condos and beat Ted.
I put Ted's literture on doors in N.E. Dade Condos that summer . Ted, Jerry Tobin and Carol King Guralnick ALL had Dick Troxel as their Campaign Consoltant and I worked for Troxel that Summer.

DS said...

PS
It WAS 1978

DS

Anonymous said...

I remember Neil Nameroff, my neighbor Bob Koeppel, and Judge Sandy Karlan's ex-husband and former AUSA who died in a freak accident in Colorado while on vacation with his wife and child-can't remember his name but can still see his face. RIP.

Tom Risavy said...

Remember Ellis Rubin. I saw his name in today's Herald.

Tom Risavy said...

Steve Chakin. What a great guy. Tragic accident Died way to early.

Calli said...

Yes, Steve Chaykin.

I miss his crazy gait, that he loved to work cases together as a team, and how he would rather talk about his daughter than anything else.

Anonymous said...

Because of the contributions of these fine lawyers, it reminds me why South Florida was the very best place to practice criminal law in the country during the past forty years. A few more..Joe Eaton. Lenore Nesbitt, Sidney Aroncvitz, James Payne, George Gold,Tom Duff,Kirk Marmar and John Komorowski.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


THE CAPTAIN CHIMES IN:

Again, Judge Steven Levine needs to be included on your front page post.

And:

Dan Pearson. Extraordinary attorney and respected jurist 3rd DCA. And a Co-Founder of FACDL with Prebish.

Two greater than life federal judges:

Joe Eaton
Edward Davis

Cap Out .....

Rumpole said...

I already had Ned Davis in the there. Eaton is up and I cannot even begin to explain why I missed Steve Levine. He is now up there as well. And the same for Dan Pearson.

Rumpole said...

I have to say this has worked out better than we had hoped. Thank you all for your contributions and for reading the blog.

Anonymous said...

Odd. No one mentioned Richard Gerstein

Rumpole said...

Not odd. I listed him.

Anonymous said...

Have yourself a Shumie little christmas. I just paid the staff until the end of the year. Filed all I needed to file. Signed motions and correspondence. Deposited a Federal CJA check for 18,500. I will deposit the med mal referral check that arrived yesterday for $49,600 on January 2 so I don't pay taxes for a whole year. I'm done until then. Shumie Time y'all. It's great to be a lawyer.

Anonymous said...

Rex Ryland, Jr.

abe laeser said...

My dear friend was named KURT MARMAR.

He was a P.D., an A.S.A., and an appellate lawyer in private practice.

A great mind and a kind soul - so sorely missed.

Calli said...

For the real old-timers, and for my friend Dore:

Paul Louis, who unfortunately I never knew, but who I know a little because I know Dore.

From his Obit, from SFl's post when Mr. Louis passed and related comments, from stories I heard at Sally Russels and the 1800 club, and from stories staight from the foal's mouth, while at sea:

A Key West native, born a conch in 1922; "had countless friends to whom he was indefatigably loyal (particularly when they fell from grace)" (now I believe in the power of genetics, and I need read no further); ''He wouldn't give up when he got into a case,'' said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Paul Siegel, who worked with him in private practice for more than 25 years. ``The law firm might not get paid, but he kept on it.'' (What I have since learned Judge Siegel really should have disclosed, but that he is too discreet to have done so, is that when all the big firm "litigators" of the day had a case that didnt settle and had to be tried and shat their pants, they sent it to Paul Louis who preferred to be in trial and had no fear); He served with distinction to 1st Lieutenant as a B-26 pilot in the European Theater for 26 missions, until his plane was shot down and he was captured. During his captivity, Paul developed a lifelong love of literature. As he was being force marched in the dead of winter, while other prisoners carried bread, Paul carried books. He was awarded 7 Air Medals, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Purple Heart. Upon his return at the end of WWII, Paul was graduated from VMI and the University of Miami School of Law; admitted to the Florida Bar in June, 1950. He practiced law for 57years. Though humble and self-effacing to a fault, Paul was widely known as a skilled and tenacious advocate who never abandoned a cause or client. One of Paul's great achievements in the law was Neil v. State, the seminal Supreme Court of Florida decision which ended the common practice of excluding individuals from jury panels based upon the color of their skin.

And so yes, like 10:28 a.m. wrote, we practice law in a very special place, with very special people.

Anonymous said...

was it Kurt Marmar ? his father was my highschool principal

Paul Mendelson was a really great person

Jeff Samek

what about Larry ____ who died a few years ago-- 50 years old tall, tan guy with scrub brush hair--- had his issues (demons?)over the years but a really good guy if you put in the time

Anonymous said...

WILLIAM "BILL" FERGUSON was a nice guy who roamed the halls..i think he worked with pre trial or some program..

Anonymous said...

A couple old timers, but excellent lawyers, Walter Gwynn and Ben Cohen. Also Judge Rosemary Jones.

Anonymous said...

Juvenile Judge Adele Faske. State Atty. Gerstein hired her as the first women ASA where she served in the child support division. A contemporary of Dixie Chastain.

Anonymous said...

Juvenile Judge Adele Faske.

State Attorney Gerstein hired her as the first women ASA, and she served in the child support enforcement division before she became a juvenile judge. A contemporary of Dixie Chastain and Judge / Dr. Ben Shepherd (sp?).

Anonymous said...

Larry Sparks.

BTDT

Anonymous said...

Lets not forget Maxine Cohen-Lando.

Anonymous said...

Ken Feldman

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


Judge Sidney Segall, brother of Judge Adele Segall Faske. He was admitted to the bar in 1933 and went on to a very distinguished career on the bench.

Cap Out .....

Anonymous said...

Mike Ruffino

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget the Third DCA. Judge Barkdull, Judge Jorgenson, Judge Fletcher, Judge Shevin.

Anonymous said...

Love him or hate him , what about Ellis Rubin?

Anonymous said...

You know what's really scary about this list? How many really good ones died young, i.e, 50 or so.

Anonymous said...

Michael Voight - A.S.A. and Criminal defense attorney

My friends and adversary preliminary hearing partners in the Magistrate Division,

Marilyn Marcus - Assistant State Attorney (1970's) and mother of David S. Marcus.
and
Jerry Geraldi

Anonymous said...

Gary Faske.

Anonymous said...

Federal judges C. Clyde Atkins and Eugene Spellman, both real judges concerned about doing real justice.

the trialmaster said...

One of the first and best Judge Paul Baker. died too young.Marmar committed suicide didnt he< Marvin Emory, died on what is known as Marvin Emory drive or river drive by the justice bldg;

the trialmaster said...

Natilie Baskin, a kind and very nice lady/

Anonymous said...

REG Circuit Judges: (1st and only when the building was built - Ben Willard - there is a portrait in Courtroom 4-1 and monument across the street), Carling Stedman, James Earnest, Murray Goodman, Leonard Rivkind,
Ralph Ferguson. Jack Turner,Maynard "Skip" Gross (not sure if he was mentioned).

County Judge: Thomas Balikes
Justice of the Peace: Charles Snowden

A.S.A - Harold Ungerleiter

Private attorney: Martin Lemlich + wife, "Z" Al Zemloch and Mitchell Goldman.

All around Crazy Person and Courthouse Legend, DELORES.

Anonymous said...

Circuit CourtJudges:
Everett Dudley and George Orr

Criminal Defense Atty, J. Duhig (He of the white Panama Hat)

ASA and then Director of State Division of Motor vehicles, Leonard Mellon.

ASA's: Robert Brown, Marvin Kimmel, Joeseph Nazzario(Chief of County Court and major league Consumer fraud prosecutor and my first Divison chief in 1972)
John Durant(Joes Brother),
Fred Graves and his uncle, former Mayor of Miami and Chief Assistant State attorney to Richard Gerstein in the early 1970's, Jack Orr.

Kenneth White said...

Fond thoughts of Jerry Mosca, one righteous trial lawyer.

Ken White

Kenneth White said...

One of a kind and a crazy righteous trial lawyer
JERRY MOSCA

Anonymous said...

Add Judge H. Paul Baker, attorneys Leonard R. McMillen and Angus Stephens.