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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

I WANNA BE A FEDERAL JUDGE (in 50 words or less)

Your next Federal Judge:  
Here is what the honor of being nominated to the federal bench entails: 
1) You fill out more forms than the entire contents of the national library of Burma;
2) The FBI crawls through your life with a microscope. Candidates have had their housekeepers accosted coming out of Publix and taken to a van to be interviewed on whether you paid withholding taxes on their salary; 
3) You appear before the Judiciary Committee where you promise to be a good and fair judge and swear on all that is holy to you that you will personally chop with an axe any activist judge who happens to darken your path;
4) You get a recommendation from the judiciary committee; 
5) Six months pass and the white house counsel's office stops returning your phone calls. Some Senaor from pig-snout Arkansas has put a hold on your nomination because you once "rowed" across a river and then returned to "wade" across the same river and he suspects you are actually a Muslim Terrorist planted by the Chinese Government and are part of a vast global conspiracy, hatched in Hawaii at the time of Obama's birth, to infiltrate the federal bench with judges who will only apply Sharia law during the off hours that they are not carving pentagrams into their bench and holding evening Wicken study group sessions. 

Personally, we don't get the appeal of applying. 

But DOM has the full list here, and for our purposes, here are the State judges , in no particular order,  who are in the mix:

John Thornton, Migna Sanchez-Llorens, Thomas Rebull, Peter Lopez, Darrin Gayles, Beth Bloom, Dennis Murphy, Daryl Trawick, Betty Butchko... (we might have missed some.) 


31 comments:

Anonymous said...

You left something out: slavishly seek a job you very very very desperately want. Great pay. Great prestige. Great vacation. Full pension. You are feared by every lawyer in town who now kiss your ass every time they are within 60 feet of you. Oh wait. I forgot something. Once you are sworn in, join with your brethren and bemoan that you are grossly underpaid.

old guy said...

Ego is a beautiful thing.

Some of these people are very qualified. Some -- in spite of their huge egos -- are out of their league deciding red-light camera cases.

Guess the lifetime sinecure can be awfully appealing.

Anonymous said...

rump or captain ... please provide us with a list of the 3rd dca applicants????

Not Captain: said...

List of 3d DCA Applicants:

Jonathan D. Colan
Jorge E. Cueto
Candace Renee Duff
Sergio Garcia-Pages
John A. Greco
Edward G. Guedes
The Honorable Norma S. Lindsey
The Honorable Fleur J. Lobree
The Honorable Bronwyn C. Miller
The Honorable Jose M. Rodriguez
Eduardo I. Sanchez
Edwin A. Scales, III

Anonymous said...

Betty Butchko, Brownwyn-Miller and Rebull are State Hacks that don't belong on the Federal bench. Trawick, Thornton, Barzee, and perhaps Gayles are all better choices from the State bench.

Anonymous said...

Some reason no "The Honorable" in front of Jorge Cueto's name?

Anonymous said...

This looks like 2 lists: 1. Those qualified to sit on the federal bench. 2. Those that are delusional about their background and qualifications. I'm scared. Very scared.

Anonymous said...

Shake down street...


The documents also show that Ribero-Ayala and Jared Lopez, a partner with Roy Black's law firm in Miami, exchanged emails discussing the wire transfer. Black's firm was representing Rodriguez at the time.

According to the document, Ribero-Ayala said she had received the money and was unaware of any reason for it. Lopez responded that the money had been sent in error, and he asked that it be returned. It was.

Black's firm no longer represents Rodriguez, and Lopez could not be reached Sunday night. The documents and the statement from Ribero-Ayala's office appear to contradict earlier reports that Bosch sought to "shake down" Rodriguez for money before agreeing to cooperate with MLB's investigation in June. Instead, several sources familiar with the case said, investigators have said they believe Rodriguez paid for Bosch's attorney and sent the second payment in order to prevent him from providing evidence or testimony against Rodriguez.

Anonymous said...

No Jerald Bagley?

Perfect example of a guy that is qualified, but has no personality, either on or off the bench.

As such, nobody cares if he ever got it.

Anonymous said...

The lists of applicants for both the Fed and 3d DCA scare me...

the trialmaster said...

I agree, Butchko is a light weight although not a bad trial judge. Thornton should be the favorite to join his ex law partner, Fred " the chief" as a notre dame judge. Barzee would be ok as well and would greatl improve the looks on this otherwise sour bench.

South Florida Lawyers said...

I think it's actually a pretty decent list.

Anonymous said...

Butchko has no business being any kind of a judge. If she were to become a Federal judge, she would be impossible to deal with.

Funny that Lobree applied so soon after getting appointed but, she is a very respected former appellate lawyer and a really decent person.

Normal Lindsey is very nice but, can't make a decision to save her life and should be in some easy private practice somewhere.

Cueto is a nice guy.

All on that list for the 3rd DCA seem OK with me.

Anonymous said...

Judge Rebull would make a great Federal Judge.

Grey Tesh said...

Jeff Colbath is a state court circuit judge here in Palm Beach county.
Grey

Anonymous said...

Spencer Multack has not applied to be a federal judge yet?

Anonymous said...

I think Ed Newman should apply to be a federal judge.

Anonymous said...

I always liked Judge Butchko. I knew her as a prosecutor and as a judge. Very unfair to talk about her like that.

Anonymous said...

I too have had some good dealings with Betty Butchko but, also saw her become rather nasty with lawyers simply cuz she didn't like them.

A bit too power hungry for my taste.

Anonymous said...

I have seen Judge Butchko become nasty with lawyers who were first class ignoramuses. Go Judge!!

Anonymous said...

If Jose Rodriguez gets the spot, the owner of La Loggia has vowed to move the restaurant across the street from the 3rd DCA.



Anonymous said...

Not only is Colbath a Circuit Judge in the 15th Circuit (Palm Beach, et. al.), but also the Chief Judge of the Circuit following in his father's footsteps. Nice guy, but a legal lightweight. Not the bulb you put on the top of your tree. But, he has political clout.

Anonymous said...

Betty is a good judge, but not Federal material. Smart in the street sense, but not a legal genius.

Anonymous said...

Unbeleivable the people who are applying for the 3rd DCA.

Norma Lindsay and Fleur Lobree, REALLY? Why not George W. Bush, Rand Paul or Rick Santorum?

Cueto is okay. Rodriguez has no hope after all of his attempts. He is getting as bad as Swartz was trying to get back on the trial bench. (Who, whether you like him or not, by the way belongs there more than just about anyone on the list.)

Brownwyn is nice, but NO.

The best of bunch is Scales.

Who the hell are Eduardo Sanchez, Sergio Garcia-Pages, John Greco or Edward Guedes? Do any of them have any real credentials other than their surname.

What is a Jonathon Colan or a Candace Renee Duff?

Where are all the really bright minds that I have to believe exist and are capable of the analytical thinking needed out there?

Anonymous said...

Bloom hit her peak as a county court judge and should be required to go back down.

Anonymous said...

Judge Thomas Rebull has no business applying, though he'd never guess it. He's an impatient, pestilent, poor tempered ego maniac with no ability to run his courtroom. His tantrums, outbursts, and petty positioning are sickening and reek of a mood disorder or poorly fed addiction. Someone please push this guy off the bench and back to civil where he can do less damage. He was a dupe on the CIP and will be wherever he goes, the quintessential yes man hack.

Miguel M. de la O said...

Although I've been Judge Rebull's colleague on the bench for a little over 6 months, I have had the pleasure of knowing him for about 15 years as a friend. We even tried a handful of cases together. Now he is my go-to colleague when I'm not sure how to address an issue on the bench. I know his ethics, his character, and his values. I know his heart.

Our friendship is far deeper than that of colleagues. I've seen him handle personal travails with dignity and grace. One of my favorite quotes is by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: "If you want to get an idea of a friend's temperament, ethics, and personal elegance, you need to look at him under the tests of severe circumstances, not under the regular rosy glow of daily life." I have seen Tom tested, and his peaceful demeanor never wavered. He never gave in to the dark forces that would have consumed persons of lesser integrity and weaker spirit.

It is ridiculous to claim that Judge Rebull throws tantrums or has outbursts on the bench. It is just false. There are lawyers and staff in my division who used to work in Judge Rebull's. They do not hesitate to remind me he is still their favorite Judge. Mine too.

I question your motives dear anonymous commentator. I've put my name to this post. Will you put yours?

Anonymous said...

It is impossible for me to reconcile my respect for you, Judge de la O, and your support of Judge Rebull. I understand Tom to be a nice fellow off the bench, but he is down right nasty to the accused and the attorneys that practice in front of him everyday. Nasty enough that I, perhaps weakly, will remain anon.

Rumpole said...

Although I too respect Judge De La O the emails I receive from def attys relating horror stories cannot be ignored. I have no personal experience but I hear about rocket sentences like 40 yrs on pvhs that worry me. I cannot make a judgment but the chatter is not good.

Anonymous said...

His stepmother Aida Rebull and stepbrother Nelson Salazar who is indicted in a federal fraud case.

Anonymous said...

Judge Rebull's mother is named Aida Rebull and his half brother is Nelson Salazar......Rebull was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott who was also accused of some sort of Medicaid problems. I was just wondering....

Rebull just ruled in favor of David J. Stern ( Detroned Foreclosure King) a few weeks ago and of course Stern was represented by none other than Jeffreey Tew. In that same case is Akerman Llc involved, a foreclosure case in which Rebull should have recused himself since his ex law partner works for none other than Akerman. Conflict of interest? It is no wonder this poor Miami homeowner has yet to get one single ruling on his favor despite being represented by two law firms.

Rebull Makes me Really sick, he is so one sided and unfair to homeowners he must be investigated.

RECALL REBULL.....REFUTE REBULL....HIS NAME SHOULD BE REBOLLO....LOOK IT UP...
THIS IS MY OPINION BASED ON WHAT I HAVE OBSERVED AND IM NOT INVOLVED IN THE AFOREMENTIONED CASE.

If you don't believe me look it up yourself, here it is.....Citimortgage vs. J. J. Porter vs. David Stern. Filed April 2010.