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.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

LET'S RECAP

Some weeks are busy, some are slow. Let's recap the last week or so. 

El Chapo Cafe: Open. Food? Bad. 

Judge Sayfie has opposition....doesn't have opposition. 

Judge Rosa Rodriguez has opposition....doesn't have opposition. 

Rumpole....somehow threatened because Judge Rosa Rodriguez doesn't have opposition. 

Florida has a death penalty....except in one courtroom of sanity on the second floor of the REGJB.

THIS BLOG SUCKS

"The blog stinks"; "It's run by a racist" (not true); "It's run by a sexist" (not true);   "It's run by someone who is anti-judge" (well....); "It's vapid"; "It's insipid";  "Why does Rumpole write all those mean things in the comments?" (we don't, figure it out...the readers write the comments, the readers write the comments...).

BUT every now and then, just a couple of lawyers with NO journalistic training whatsoever, does something noteworthy. 

Congrats to our Captain, who this week broke a story, scooped the Herald, the DBR, the Wall Street Journal AND the London Times

The scoop was acknowledged by ace Herald Reporter David Ovalle. here-

The gaffe was first reported by the blogger known as “The Captain,” who writes for Miami’sJustice Blog. Rodriguez, a circuit judge in the civil division, has been on the bench since 1998.

Thanks David. 

See you in court. 

PS: It's "Justice Building Blog" but we understand you may have had a size restriction for the article. 

COMING SOON!

The reason why the 45th President of the United States' initials will be DJT. 



Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article76487432.html#storylink=cpy

21 comments:

a fan said...


Horace, you really should be proud of the blog that you created, built, and maintained for the past ten years. You have added a great tool for communication amongst the lawyers and lawyering in the justice building.

This past week, the Captain's coverage of the judicial filings was top notch. I turned to the blog for the breaking news because it wasn't appearing on the pages of the Herald, the Daily Business Review, or anywhere else.

While I don't always agree with your style, I always click on my link to the blog first thing in the morning to see what's happening in courthouse news.

Thanks. A fan.

Rumpole said...

Thanks Dad.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Trump will be in office. He will make America great again. Hillary is a corrupt liar who will do nothing positive for this country. She will be like Obama; not much positive change over last 8 years

Anonymous said...

Ditto
Love,
Mom

Anonymous said...

Sheep. Sheep. Sheep. We are all sheep. Merely existing. Barely living.

Anonymous said...


Your blog is the -hit. Nobody does it better. In the age of 24 hour news, this is where I go for up to the minute courthouse news. OVALLE also does a great job covering the court on his twitter account.

El Capitan kicked ass last week on his breaking news of each of the incumbents getting a challenger and even better with that story on Danny Boy.

Keep up the great work.

Not your mother or father.

Anonymous said...

All The Captain did was keep the elections website open in his browser and hit refresh. No Herculean effort there.

Not JAFI much longer said...

J. Sayfie just said, "Fuck it." to the FL death penalty.

Anonymous said...

To 11:01:

Check out http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ and suck it.

Just off the top of my head as to the progress during his term: Expanded healthcare, cut unemployment in half, record bull markets, consistent economic growth, expanded civil rights and opportunities for the LGBT community, and Bin Laden is dead.

Florida Supreme Court of Never said...

This cause, having come on to be heard on Petitioner's emergency motion to re-instate his name on the ballot, and the court, having heard oral argument and being fully advised in the within premises, it is hereby ORDERED AND ADJUDGED

Facts: The Petitioner has always had a dream to be a judge. Indeed, in the last year the petitioner, his lovely wife and adorable four children have had many a conversation over the kitchen table about the Petitioner becoming a judge and fulfilling his life long dream.

To achieve his dream, the petitioner sent a check from his office account to pay the filing fee. The check was rejected because it was not from a campaign account. Then, at great personal expense and time, the petitioner fully read the rules on opening a campaign account. He got a treasurer. He filled out some forms. He signed his name. He went to a bank, he in fact opened a campaign account. Here is where our story turns tragic.
The petitioner told his campaign treasurer to issue a check for the filing fee to the department of elections. The check arrived on time, but the knucklehead campaign treasurer sent a check twenty cents short. On the last day, at the last hour, the department of elections notified the petitioner that his life long dream was about to end. The petitioner, with no other option available, sent a truly heartfelt letter begging the department of elections not to cruelly crush his life long dream. Alas, the wonderful letter fell on deaf, bureaucratic ears and his request was cruelly denied.

On the side, we have the law, which is clear and unequivocal that a check must be sent, from a campaign account, for the correct amount, before the deadline.

In deciding this case, we have balanced the equities. If this wasn't the petitioner's life long dream, if he had two children instead of four, or if he hadn't incessantly talked for the last year about his dream, then perhaps the law should be applied. But the petitioner does have four kids, he did talk for the last year about being a judge, and being a judge is his life long dream. Therefore, it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the Petitioner's motion is GRANTED. The department of elections is ordered to restore him to the ballot, and he shall be allowed to run for judge, and we are confident that when he is a judge, he will also interpret the law, not by what it says, but in the context of which party has more children, which party has discussed the issue with his wife, and which party, to use the words of Dr Martin Luther King, has a dream.

DONE AND ORDERED on this the 10th day of Never, 2016.

THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT OF NEVER.

Anonymous said...

Geez, shouldn't Rosa be doing something other than writing fictitious Fl Sct opinions?

Anonymous said...

Two crazy Friday realities from today's breakfast meeting.

CABA is no longer the powerful organization it used to be. Unproven kids are running the organization to the ground. DCBA is on the same path by electing two Republican attorneys (Jordan Dresnick and Jane Muir) who have never seen the inside of a courtroom unless when they visit their papa and mama. Who will rise to take their place? Wilke D.?

Anonymous said...

657

Expanded healthcare? Obviously your a government worker who has no idea how the health insurance in the private sector works. Bin laden dead? Great, that was the military, not the president. He would have eventually been caught no matter who president. What specific civil rights have been expanded that Obama can be personally credited for? None.

How about nafta? Still driving business out of America? How about us paying the bills for defending Japan? How about our ever increasing debt? How about our terrible trade deals with China and now Iraq?

You can tell me to "suck it" but facts are facts. Trump will make America great again and we all will win. Even you.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

LEAGUE OF PROSECUTOR ENDORSEMENTS .....

The LOP conducted a Judicial Forum this week and spent several hours questioning the candidates. The only candidate that did not show up, and did not call with a reason, was candidate Elena Tauler.

Here are the Endorsements from the LOP:

CIRCUIT COURT

Group 9 Judge Jason Bloch
Group 34 Mark Blumstein
Group 52 Carol "Jodie" Breece
Group 66 Judge Robert Luck
Group 74 Judge George Sarduy

COUNTY COURT

Group 5 Judge Fred Seraphin
Group 7 Judge Edward Newman
Group 15 Linda Luce
Group 35 Judge Wendell Graham

We understand that Rosy Aponte and Oscar Rodriguez Fonts also did not appear at the Forum. Ms. Aponte called in sick with a stomach virus and I do not recall what the reason was for Rodriguez Fonts not appearing, but he did call.

CAPTAIN OUT .....
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

As expected, all the incumbents got the endorsement.

Anonymous said...

Nobody cares about endorsements, anyway.

Anonymous said...

Shouldn't the order be dated the 12th of Never.......I will never stop loving you
....from the song.

Anonymous said...

What I am tired of is seeing people endorse or support a judge that they know is no good. We have seen it over and over again. There are judges that they maybe your friend but you know that they don't serve the people well. So what if your friend is on power if the day after tomorrow that person is better friends with your opponent can you truly trust her/him to follow the law and not simply side with the party they are friendliest with?

FACDL Listserve Leaker said...

9:03 is on target.

But watch and see. Young Master Dresnick, who has more or less made himself the cruise director/wedding planner for the bar, will ride this committee work into a seat on the bench. I don't know if he has ever practiced law, let alone been inside a courtroom (barring visits to dad) but his plan is perfect for this town. As for young Miss Muir, the plan seems to be the same. Visit her bio page at her firm website. It is four paragraphs of committee memberships, community panels, and recognition for committee work and panels. If you read the bio you will have NO idea of what sort of law she practices,if any.

I tremble in dread at the thought of either of these judges' children on the bench, but that's where they are headed.


The legal community in this town used be led by men and women who had made their bones practicing law. Now?

Anonymous said...

All of the officers and directors of the more than 30 voluntary Bar associations in Miami-Dade County should solely be commended for all of their hard work, energy and effort in improving our community. Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of attending Dade Legal Aid's Battle of the Bands. This Wednesday is the CABA, DCBA, CBA, HLA, FAWL, GSCBWLA, HNBA and Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Bar Association"s Diversity Summit and General Membership Luncheon. This coming Friday is a Night at Marlin's Park Benefiting CABA's Pro Bono Project.
Thank you.

Anonymous said...

And the Rosy Aponte saga continues. Readers may remember that the Honorable A. Jay Cristol found Ms. Aponte unfit to practice in the United Staes Bankruptcy Court as a result of her misguided attempt to assist known fraudster, Walter Lista in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Marionette master, John Ruiz, apparently pulled Aponte's strings while she malpracticed before Judge Cristol. Until today, Walter Lista was busy directing Ruiz' latest ponzi scheme, MSP Recovery, however, his troubled tenure at Ruiz' side was cut short by a grand jury indictment on 12 counts of bankruptcy fraud perpetuated by Aponte's incompetence or complicity. While Lista's arrest and indictment were made public today, it remains to be seen which of his co-conspirators remain to be indicted for past crimes or set up by Lista for a sentence reduction.