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.

Tuesday, May 06, 2025

MAILBAG

Wednesday update: The Conclave will begin today.  There will be at least one vote. The rules require four votes a day but the Conclave doesn’t start until 4:30 pm Rome time. And Uber Eats - the Vatican/Conclave division-  will be standing by- Pepe’s Mexican and Sakura Sushi are rumored to be favorites amongst the Cardinals.  133 Cardinals are voting - the most in Papal history. Keep an eye on the Italian Cardinal and the Cardinal from the Philippines as early favorites.  But it’s all a mystery shrouded in secrecy and tradition and who doesn’t love that? 

Our favorite Conclave witticism? It is said a Pope walks into a Conclave and leaves a Cardinal. Think about it. 


 Time for our mailbag. 

A reader asks 


You sometimes write, Rump, that you have "robed readers". I have a question for any judge who cares to respond, or anyone who knows: What on earth causes judges to arrive late to their calendar? It is the rule, rather than the exception. Taxpayers are funding correction staff, clerks, calendar clerks, ASAs and PDs to sit and wait. Civilians sit and wait. Its an ungodly waste of time and money. I cannot imagine the judges routinely have pressing business at 9AM. How is this anything other than an abuse of power? On campaigns for their jobs, they should be confronted with how frequently they start their job on time.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you seen Miami’s traffic?

Anonymous said...

They should be rat-tailed with a wet towel mercilessly

Anonymous said...

Be specific. I find that a majority of judges are on time. Such generalizations are annoying.

Anonymous said...

Name them. When you leave them nameless it indicts all the judges even the ones who don't deserve it. BTW not all judges start at 9am so be sure they are late and don't have a late start while you assume they start at 9.

Anonymous said...

Easy fix. Be judge Milian and don’t start calendar until 10:30am and leave the courthouse everyday at noon!

Anonymous said...

Some judges arrive late on purpose to give the lawyers time to work stuff out. Some are always late. Some show up when they feel like it. Most show up in time. Ana Pando used to be hours late... every day. Look what happened to her.

A Broweird judge was real late and got ratted out by the parking pass at the courthouse. The JQC pulled the records and had proof she was always late. She was forced into retirement.

Anonymous said...

That’s a little excessive

Anonymous said...

Scott why you delete your comment and then re type it under anonymous?

Anonymous said...

What about the glorified County Court Judges that now start their morning calendars very late, are slower than slow and start their trials at 3:30 or 4:30 PM? Maybe it's time an investigation is started on how late all judges are starting and don't be surprised at why jurors are not showing up for service.

Anonymous said...

Haven't heard a "rat tail" reference since I was in H.S. & that was a long time ago.

Anonymous said...

oh get over yourself. the traffic in town his horrible, and you are not that important.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of judges, all politics is local. We are losing our criminal admin judges and chief judge soon, and what we are losing is mirrored nationally. What we are losing is competent well-intentioned people who see the criminal justice system from a reality-based perspective--as a system that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't and when it doesn't part of a judge's job is to do something about it, that is in fact one of the most important jobs you perform for society in your public service as a judge. But an opposing philosophy has taken hold, locally and nationally. One that cares only about what things look like, not what they are. F. Scott Fitzgerald said

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness of whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.

That's who's running things in America these days, at all levels. Careless people, at best. Some are evil. Their enablers sacrifice to these careless at best people the welfare of the populace we all, especially lawyers and judges, are entrusted to protect. They do so for some perceived personal or professional gain, although in reality it is unlikely to work out that way, memories are long and current political moments are short.

The judges in leadership roles that we are losing were and are reminders that even in deepest Desantified Florida there are still good people, there are still true public servants who uphold the law and do the right thing regardless of politics or personalities. That was inspiring to have in our local court system, particularly when there have been so few examples of such leaders recently, either in FL or nationally. It's sad to lose.

But we will win. The underlying fight is in many ways just getting started. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. The torch of real freedom, liberty, justice won't go out on our watch. Some of us don't mind a little fighting.

Anonymous said...

Memo to Judge Alvarez Zane: You are a nice and very decent person lbut, You will get an opponent at the next election if you make lawyers wait 2.5 hours to be called like you did today. Why the hell did you allow the clerk to set over 150 cases in the morning and cause all that chaos?

Anonymous said...

Shumie’s third legal encyclical circa 1991 entitled “On Judicial Responsibility” discusses the need for judges to show up on time, work hard, and if they have no trials stay in chambers reading law and writing law review articles unto at least 530 pm. every day. It’s worth a new look Rump.

Anonymous said...

He’s a common screwed up. That wastes a lot people’s time. ASA has everyone subpoenaed to be in court for trial on Monday at 9am. However, calendar doesn’t start on time and finishes around 1pm proceeded by lunch. Jury selection begins at 2pm and finishes way after 5pm. Only for the ASA to tell everyone to be back at 9am the next day. The actual trial doesn’t begin the next day until 2pm the first witness doesn’t take the stand to 3pm the following day. Well you know.

Anonymous said...

Just being sophomoric to have some levity in a overly serious day

Anonymous said...

Consider that any number of things could cause delay, including lawyers, discovery, witnesses, and juror availability. The judge must crack a whip to coral those cats. Not every judge likes to crack the whip. Not every voter likes the judge who cracks the whip. But directly to the point, the superior judge will bring all of her or his influence to conclude the ultimate issues in as short a period as possible; and do it with a smile. Please appreciate that the judge must maintain order when overbooking is the beast, but the better judges routinely get the job done.

Anonymous said...

you want to know how its simply an abuse of power? because everyone else is there. If the PD walked in 30 minutes late, it would not happen twice. Same for ASA. Same for court reporter, probation officer, etc. The ONLY ones routinely, predictably late, are those who hold the final power in the room. Odd coincidence, no? Seriously, Herald or someone should just alert voters: "Judge X would like your vote, and he/she averages arriving to work 21 minute late, over a three year period." It is what it is.

Anonymous said...

I'm praying that Cardinal Pizzaballer becomes Pope!

Anonymous said...

My money is on Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, see The Forward, CONCLAVE

https://mailchi.mp/forward/12928426?e=f41302c659

"Starting Wednesday afternoon, Roman Catholic cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel — surrounded by secrecy and Michelangelo’s iconic frescoes — to begin voting on the next pope. The list of likely candidates feature several who are known for speaking out against antisemitism and for their involvement in Middle East affairs.

Among them is Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a 60-year-old fluent in Hebrew who has served in Jerusalem since 1990. "His experience navigating one of the holiest, and most difficult, roles in the Catholic church has made him perhaps the frontrunner," writes our Mira Fox."

Anonymous said...

It looks like the Catholic Church (and its proxies on SCOTUS) wants to maintain its anti-homosexual policies but here we have 133 of its leaders dressing up in fancy costumes and entering into a locked room--with no females allowed-and remaining there until they pick their new maledom. Sounds pretty gay to me.

Anonymous said...

My judge has never been late. Not once and he’s very mindful of all attorneys time.

Anonymous said...

Kristy Nunez is the standard of what a county court judge should be.

First and foremost - kind and pleasant. Our jobs are stressful as hell. It’s such a relief to appear in front of someone who just treats you with basic humanity.

Not afraid of her own shadow (or the state).

Experienced felony prosecutor who has dealt with enough serious bad guys (human traffickers) to have a good sense of perspective with regard to misdemeanor offenders.

Sharp.

Punctual.

Quick with the calendar and ALWAYS calls private attorneys out of turn.

Her docket is under control, her ASAs and PDs aren’t stuck on the 9:30 calendar at 2 pm.

Anonymous said...

Some County Court judges you can set your watch to how quickly they move through their calendar. If you have a 9:30 AM sounding in their division, you know that you can make your next hearing by 9:40.

There are other County Court judges where if you have a 9:30 AM sounding in their division, cancel your plans until noon.

Anonymous said...

Do the chiefs at the SAO have a conclave to fill positions. Does Kathy lock them in to find the next geriatric aged has been to fill in for a year or two?

Anonymous said...

How many ASAs do you think have borderline personality disorders? You know May is Mental Health Awareness. It’s time to advocate and inform.

Anonymous said...

Kiss ass ASA. I bet you buy all the bull shit they tell you on the 4th floor.

Anonymous said...

Now there’s a man I admire he knows how to live.

Anonymous said...

County court is like fantasy land at Disney World.

Anonymous said...

Shut up my kids think I’m important

Anonymous said...

ASA’s are doing key bumps in their office before heading over to the courthouse

Anonymous said...

Yeah sure make sure you write the check out to cash

Anonymous said...

Question for the liberals. The officers who beat Tyre Nichols to death were acquitted. Can we expect another BLM summer or no because the officers are black and it doesn’t fit the the race pandering narrative?

Anonymous said...

Nice Frost reference

Anonymous said...

Say what?

Anonymous said...

The real question you should ask is can we expect more misconduct from the SAO this summer?

Anonymous said...

Well, I don’t know about county but circuit and our judge is never late. We are always waiting on the state.

Anonymous said...

Seems to be the consensus however, they’re both amazing judges who love what they do and seem to have a profound respect for the system and positions they hold. Judge W and Judge O are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They consistently and easily handle other judges calendars while handling their own case loads and both help out whenever and wherever they can. Judge W is a sweetheart and Judge de la O is about as solid as one man could be. If Fajardo's smart, she’ll keep them there.

Anonymous said...

Well then you would think they might be on time and get through calendar quicker.