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, November 18, 2013

HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY TO US

It was a Wednesday, November 8, 2005, and we were a bit bored at work. We didn't wake up intending to become part of the local legal culture, but then when do you really know when a life changing event is about to happen? 

Here's how it all began, 2513 posts, eight years  ago:


Welcome to the Justice Building Blog.
My Name is Horace Rumpole.


We seek comments, rumors, and stories on any and all Miami Justice Building habituates, Judges, Prosecutors, Attorneys, and defendants. While we (the royal we) will not be libelous, and we will not pick on those not able to defend themselves [ insert your favorite judge here] , we love a good story about a Judge or lawyer putting his or her foot in their mouth. A juicy rumor that is not too harmful will also be posted.

Actually in retrospect, not too bad. We managed some humor, to set out what we intended to do, and got in the first of what would be thousands of shots at our favourite target: those who wear the black robe. 

In eight years a lot has changed. We're a bit older, but really just more experienced. Eight years was a good twenty trials or more ago. There weren't Ipads back then, and cell phones weren't that smart, and E-filing was still a dream in Federal Court (and it still is in Miami-Dade County.) Judges and prosecutors and defense attorneys have come and  gone. So have a few very dear friends like Manny Crespo, Rob Pinero, and Sy Gaer. I think the blog came of age the day Judge Crespo passed away. He was the first sitting judge to die while we were blogging and people gathered electronically to share memories before and after the funeral. It's one of the posts we remember most.  Our darkest hour occurred during that horrible week that Judge Pinero lay mortally stricken; we announced his tragic passing too soon. And in that mistake we learned a lesson: we 're not journalists; we run a blog and there is a world of difference. When we walk in that courtroom on the sixth floor and see those pictures of Judge Crespo (hung by Judge Pinero) and then Judge Pinero, we can't help but think of how fleeting life is, and how, as we do our jobs and live our lives, we are just leaving footprints in the sand, by the ocean, quickly washed away.

Even though we run a blog we've also come to learn that we have earned your trust. And trust is a precious thing. We heard one lawyer once tell a young colleague that it took him 25 years to earn his reputation in the REGJB and he never forgot he was always two minutes away from ruining it every time he spoke in court. 

It's been a privilege to be part of your day. And while we acknowledge that we are closer to the end of our career as a lawyer and a blogger than the beginning, we're not done yet. Miami is a fascinating place. We have great lawyers handling challenging cases.  And it's fun to be a part of that. 

And ever the eternal optimist, we arise every day reminding ourself that at any moment some amazingly stupid comment will come from the mouth of one of our judges and we will be there to trumpet the moment. (You didn't think we were going to end without taking a shot at our favourite targets did you?)

So whomever gets the REGJB Judge on their jury panel, write in and tell us how it went. 

See You In Court. 

19 comments:

MC Waste Services, Inc said...

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/17/3761247/sweetwater-officers-bumps-in-rank.html GEEZ, U KNOW ITS BAD WHEN EVEN THESE GUYS ARE SEEKING DISTANCE FROM U

Mr. Chief Judtice Milton Hirsch said...

Moneypenney:

Send an email to that Blog guy congratulating him on his anniversary and email him a PDf copy of my new book (the annotated softcover version only please) "The papers of Mr. Chief Justice Milton Hirsch 2007-2012".

Also, call the Sweetwater BPOE club and make sure that they have a bottle of Perrier, a piece of grilled skinless chicken, a large screen and four power outlet cords so I can give a power point presentation at my luncheon meeting tomorrow. The Skinless chicken is NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Rump, as we enter this season of thankfulness let us all pause and give thanks for the words that saved the world:
"Gort. Klatu barrata nicto. ".

Rumpole said...

You think you can beat me on trivia?
The day the earth stood still. Original version staring Patricia Oneal.

old guy said...

...or even Michael Rennie explaining it to Pat.

Anonymous said...

Read ya every day. Most of us do.
A Judge.

Rumpole said...

Michael Rennie. Good pull.

DS said...

One of the best movies ever.
Wasn't the boy the son on The Donna Reed show. Also Floyd the Barber and Aunt Bee?

Anonymous said...

After 8 years I think I know who is and who is not Rumpole.

Rumpole is not:
Richard Hersch (wouldn't dare do it as a sitting judge)
Milton Hirsch (Rumpy never quotes Shakespeare)
Mike Catalano (not a football fan)
Miguel de la O (Hasn't been around MJB 8 years)
Stan Blake (left MJB too long ago)
Alex Michaels (too busy defending contempt citations)
Abe Laeser (no way)
Gene Zenobi (way too busy being RC)
Carlos Martinez (would never insult himself sooooo much)
KFR (not even close)

Rumpole probably is:
Phil R (most likely culprit)
Dan Lurvey (quiet inside but, has wild streak)
Jon Bletcher (probably the capt...)

Anonymous said...

"Michael Rennie was ill
The day the earth stood still
But he told us where we stand
And Flash Gordon was there
In silver underwear
Claude rains was the invisible man . . ."

Rumpole said...

I've always thought the "who" of me was singularly less important than the "why" of me.

Rumpole said...

I agree that the individual in question needs to lay off the twinkees. But I don't allow comments like that.

Blog Sleuth said...

Putting aside the usual suspects for a moment: PR and DL, lets take a fresh look at this:

10) I was thinking one day of some of the older PDs. Steve Kramer? Ollie Morales? Hmmm, could be one of those.

9) Alan Greenstein. Ex PD. Retired. Older guy about 60. Age and experience fit.

8) Alschuler/Blecher- red herrings Don't have the gravitas to pull it off. No way.

7) Some ASAs: Howard Rosen? Sure. Ex ASA Howie Pohl? Yup. Gary Rosenberg....hmmm there's a thought. Keeps a low profile. Perfect choice.

6) Ex ASAs. Where to start? Band? Nah. Ridge? Where is he these days? Kastrenakis? Nope- Judge in WPB. I really like this Rosenberg choice more and more.

5) Now it gets weird. A bailiff? Nah. Same for a corrections officer. But a ct reporter? Very unlikely but I could think of a few.. AJ for instance? 1% chance.

4) A Judge? Nah. Rump is right. Too lazy. Some could have done it, but sadly they're gone. The new crew doesn't know the history. But some quiet ones maybe. Ex ASA like.....Prescott but he's stuck in Juvie.

3) Blake? Nope.

2) The prime suspects are still at the top. But my guess is the one person no one ever considers....and as Rump loves to say "think outside the box." Who is outside the box in the courtroom.....

1) A CLERK! Some of these guys have been around 20-30 years and are wicked smart and are such great observers of what goes on. Pick the right clerk, smart, picks up all the legal lingo, watches and writes and damn....it's a clerk, but which one? That is the hard part. But I think I am right about this....It's the clerk! Right in front of our eyes all the time. Right outside of the box just like Rumpole always said.

Anonymous said...

Good analysis, but it's the Shum, helped by his minions.

Scott Saul said...

Rump,

You know your classic, "mainstream" movies... that's pretty good. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" is hardly obscure trivia (Hell, a painting of Gort has hung up in Drug Court for years).

What mid 70's Canadian rock band, with a nexus to this conversation, slightly benefited from a false rumor that they were the Beatles incognito?

MC Waste Services, Inc said...

gino negretti.

South Florida Lawyers said...

Please Scott, dig deeper -- KLAATU ("Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft")

Anonymous said...

Wow, 8 years and counting.

I like this Blog much better than the Broward blog. In Broward, they insult each other way too much. There's something wrong with the entire Broward courthouse experience. They do almost everything wrong up there.

Here, Rumpole keeps the personal insults out and the politics in.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Rump. You're doing a great job.

BTDT