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, February 26, 2018

FACDL WINNERS

The envelope please....
This is what we wait for all year.
The anticipation...the thrill of victory...the agony of defeat.

The FACDL annual award winners are...

The Daniel Pearson-Harry Prebish Founders Award:
Jane Moskowitz and the late Gregg Toung.

The Rodney Thaxton "Against All Odds Award"
Michelle Estlund for her work in a Graham/Miller resentencing issue.

Gregg Wenzel Young Lawyer's Award:
Abbie Waxman.

And our favourite award...
Known by it's eponymous name The Honorable Gerald Kogan Judicial Distinction Award (affectionately known as "The Kogie") to United States Judge Patricia Seitz.

The award banquet is May 12, 2018.
Tickets, which are sure to be a hot ducat, go on sale March 1, 2018.





37 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the Kogie, especially since they started giving out the Bobble-head of Justice Kogan.

Anonymous said...

Moscowitz? you gotta be kidding me.

Anonymous said...

The Kogan award should have gone to Judge Mike Hanzman. He wrote several well reasoned Orders granting Rule 3’s, granting new trials when there had been vindictive sentencing and never punished any defendant for exercising their right to go to trial. Read those Orders.

Anonymous said...

Those awards need to ADJUST to the times. Give really once in a generation Judges who have guts, work hard, are brilliant and have no political agenda the awards.

Hanzman deserves it. He did the right there for so many at the criminal court. He fought against injustice.

Given others a LIFETIME achievement award for a career of mediocrity at best is - So Miami.

Anonymous said...

Maybe “Hard Working Scola” deserves an Award for busting his ass on the federal bench. Trial after trial. You think that he has an easy job? Great job Bobby. Don’t let the lack of praise by a bunch of “do nothing, award giving old timer hacks” dissuade you for being the best of Federal, ok?

Anonymous said...

Notice a trend?

Anonymous said...

Please post the winners of the against all odds award since its inception. thanks.

Anonymous said...

I predict the event will not be sold out

Sara Huckabee said...

Hanzman turned it down. On the day of the banquet he was scheduled to be in Haiti building homes for habitat for humanity. Since taking the bench He also went to med school at night and became a plastic surgeon specializing in children's facial deformities. He's flying out of Haiti to Eretria to do some life saving surgeries for Doctors and Judges without Borders. You can't blame FACDL for his busy schedule.

Anonymous said...

Best comment of the year so far 11:22. Take a bow!

Anonymous said...

Bill Clay, Bill Aaron.HT Smith,Jack Denaro and many others would be better choices than Jane.

Anonymous said...

Fake Huckabee is as stupid as the real one. Typical Miami- poke fun at the ones who do great work and reward the mediocre with bs “awards”, appointments, etc. Hanzman is the once in a lifetime Michael Jordan of bench. His Rule 3 Orders are a must read for any young defense lawyer and he is the only Judge who found new stand your ground law constitutional. Bet anyone that will be adopted by 3rd. Did more for criminal defendants in a year than most do in a lifetime.

Anonymous said...

I saw POPE HANZMAN on the 700 Club Christian TV show on Christmas Eve. His Eminence was bringing love, joy and Coram Nobis to all of the disenfranchised orphans in the Holy Land and Dollywood. Very touching. He even spoke in Latin to his Federal bench colleagues - “ tendrĂ© un burrito sin queso por favor. “

Words to live by Judge Bloom and others over there.

Anonymous said...

Seitz?! Really! What is the standard here? Did she permit a defendant to remain on house arrest while awaiting trial? Did she sustain a defense objection during a trial? Illuminate us please.

earl rogers said...

Why all the hate against Jane Moscowitz? I did a federal trial with her some years ago in front of Judge Zloch where she represented a court appointed crazy guy who, against all logic, demanded a jury trial. Most lawyers of her stature would: (1) not be doing court appointments anymore; and (2) force the guy to take a plea. She put up a good defense in the case and I learned a few things about the DoJ Manuel from her. If her performance in this case was typical of her standard of professionalism, I can see why she got the award.

Anonymous said...

Pretty bad that people are dumping anonymously on award winners. Grow up people.

Anonymous said...

Seitz is horrible. She might have done something to achieve this, but it wasn't anything she has done in the courtroom over the last 30 years. Cancelling my membership. Adios.

Anonymous said...

Seitz got the award? Was Lenard not available?

Anonymous said...

Facdl is a joke.

Anonymous said...

For everyone touting Judge Hanzman's Rule 3 orders...post them or provide a link to them so others can read them.

Anonymous said...

Judge Hanzman - please post your orders on Rule 3 and your other notable orders. Can you post them on the Blog? RUMPOLE?

Anonymous said...

Mike Hanzman
He's a lantzman
Lots of fans man
and a golf marksman
we loooooove Hanzman......

Anonymous said...

I filed and argued two Rule 3.850 motions that went to evidentiary hearing before Hanzman in the last year. In one a defendant had been sentenced to 50 years for violating his probation by possessing a gun which was negative for his DNA and prints. A codefendant was also charged with possessing the same gun. The gun was found on the passenger floorboard, my client was the driver. The only evidence the defendant possessed the gun was the testimony of one police officer who claimed that she had seen it in his hands as they did a traffic stop and then rather than doing a felony stop and ordering him out at gunpoint walked up to the door like it was a speeding ticket. Which, basically, it was, they clearly found the gun afterwards and never saw it in my clients hands. That officers version of events was contradicted by police audio transmissions and the testimony of another officer. In the other case the defendant was sentenced to 40 years after trial for supposedly shooting a victim, who survived. There was no evidence other than that victims word that this had happened and many problems with that victims story. In addition to other things, we brought in another witness the victim had accused of doing the same shooting. The state also knew at the time of the trial that the victims girlfriend had falsely accused the defendant of a separate serious felony which it turned out the victim himself had most likely committed. Judge Hanzman handled these cases as well as other matters I have had in front of him or seen him handle in an exemplary fashion and he did true justice. He read everything, which I can tell you as an attorney who handles many of these matters is unfortunately far from a given, and he wrote well-reasoned orders as has been said. In one of the cases after it became clear late on a Friday that he would rule for the defense the State brought in 4 other high ranking prosecutors in a clear effort to make him reconsider. He engaged each of them respectfully but was not intimidated or swayed from doing what he believed was (and what truly was) the right thing. If anyone does want to see the orders in question feel free to email me at dan@tibbittlaw.com and I will send them to you.

Dan Tibbitt

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to brag
I don't mean to boast
But I like hot butter on my breakfast toast.

Anonymous said...

"DoJ Manuel"? He's awaiting deportation at Krome. #MAGA

the trialmaster said...

Before Judge Hanzman came over to criminal I informed the clowns at the justice building that he would be one, if not the best judge ever to set foot in that God forsaken place, except for the Late, Great ED Cowart. Now I have been proven right. I am glad he is back in Civil where money matters. I can only hope I have more cases with Judge Hanzman.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Dan, Hanzman should have received the FACDL's award. There's not a single other judge in the building who ever grants a 3850 motion Hanzman is in a class by himself. All the other judges are cowards. Dan's client was lucky to get Hanzman. Give Hanzman the award every year.

Anonymous said...

The comment of the year award goes to 6:50 am.

Anonymous said...

We need to make FACDL great again

Old timer with memory said...

Lately I have not read about some recent passings of former REG Justice Building regulars such as Rina Cohan, Judge David Tobin and Judge Joseph Nadler all who passed away within the past 30 days. I think is time you return your roots.

Anonymous said...

Procedural rules or maneuvering should never conceal the truth, and should never be used or allowed to be used to reach or sustain any verdict or result. For any court to refuse to consider indicia of false or deceptive evidence is a denial of due process of the most basic kind. Any judge who refuses to revisit any ruling or verdict when shown it is infected with false or questionable evidence deserves to be removed from the bench.

Anonymous said...

Way to throw all the other judges under the bus Tibbit. Good luck getting any of them to grant your Rule 3 motions from now on (not that they ever did) seeing as to how you called them all cowards.

Anonymous said...

Judge Joe Nadler - that’s a blast from the past.

He was the reason that I wanted to become a young Judge.

Anonymous said...

My clients were lucky to get Hanzman but it is definitely not true that he is the only judge in the building to grant 3.850 motions. I can personally attest to that. I’ve won one on every floor but 1 and 5. Don’t get a lot of traffic or misdemeanor business.

Dan

Anonymous said...

Rumpole, you missed this: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article199667434.html

Gerald Schwartz, who had a hand in the election of Dade judges for many years passed away three weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

I call BS. No judge at REG has the guts to grant a 3850 but Hanzman. None! Hanzman is unique!

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


NO 1:45 AM, you are mistaken:

REPRINTED FROM 2-13-18, WITH PERMISSION FROM THE CAPTAIN:


THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

THE “KINGMAKER” IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING .....

Gerald Schwartz, 90 years young, passed away yesterday. According to the Miami Herald story, he worked on the campaigns of more than 50 judges. You can read the story here:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article199667434.html

Tuesday, February 13, 2018 6:09:00 PM