ELECTION CENTRAL: WHO'S RUNNING FOR JUDGE IN 2016

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

BREAKING NEWS ....NEW CANDIDATE FILING TODAY ......

MONA LISA VITO ...........................

More than once we have been referred to as the Mona Lisa Vito of reporters, when it comes to the reporting of judicial elections in Miami-Dade County.  And, following our reporting on the filing of Judge David Young last week, we received several emails requesting the lineup of who's up in 2016 for reelection.

Without further adieu, here is the list of Judges, both Circuit and County Court, whose terms expire in 2016.

CIRCUIT COURT

32 Areces, Barbara

28 Bailey, Jennifer D.

10 Bernstein, Scott M.

34 Freeman, Gill Sherryl

52 Genden, Michael A.

62 Gordo, Monica

41 Hirsch, Milton

76 Eig, Spencer*** 

66 Luck, Robert

30 Rodriguez, Rosa I.

39 Rodriguez-Chomat, Jorge

45 Ruiz-Cohen, Samantha

74 Sarduy, George Alexander

59 Sayfie, Nushin Ghofrany

03 Schlesinger, John C.

12 Soto, Bertila A.

40 Thomas, William L.

20 Thornton, Jr., John W.

COUNTY COURT

11 Gonzalez-Paulson, Michaelle

35 Graham, Wendell Mitchell

23 Kelly, Carroll J.

07 Newman, Edward

15 Rubenstein, Judith

05 Seraphin, Fred

There are 18 Circuit Court Judges whose terms expire at the end of 2016.  At least two of them will have hit mandatory retirement based on their age: Judge Genden and Judge Rodriguez-Chomat.

On Friday, January 16, 2015, former Judge David Young filed to run in Group 39, Rodriguez'-Chomat's group. Coincidentally, on the same day, attorney Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts also filed to run in that group.  You may remember that Rodriguez-Fonts ran unsuccessfully in the most recent election cycle against Judge Martin Zilber.  Zilber beat Rodriguez- Fonts by only 2,316 votes out of nearly 152,000 cast; (50.8%-49.2%).

That begs the question: why didn't one of those two candidates file in Group 52, Genden's seat?  My guess would be that Genden has decided not to complete his term and we can expect that he will resign his seat sometime in the next year or so.

BREAKING .................

In the time it took to author this post, attorney Carol "Jodie" Breece has filed to run for Circuit Court Judge, in Group 52.  I would hope that Ms. Breece had a sit down with Judge Genden before filing to learn whether Genden intends to serve out his term.  If he were to resign early, Governor Scott would appoint the replacement and Breece would be forced to find a new Group if she wants to run in 2016.

You may recall that Ms. Breece filed in 2014 to run for County Court Judge against Incumbent Judge Ana Maria Pando and challenger Diana Gonzalez.  Ultimately, Breece withdrew her candidacy before the qualifying deadline.  She told me back then that she would definitely be running in 2016.  Looks like she kept her word.  Good luck Jodie.

***Judge Spencer Eig needs a new Campaign Treasurer.  Albert Corrada currently holds that honor.  Judge Eig ran unopposed for reelection in 2014 in Group 76.  The Division of Elections though was more concerned that Eig, more than once, filed late Campaign Treasurer's Reports.  On November 19, 2013, Eig was fined $525 for a late filing.  Again, on August 11, 2014, he was fined $400, for another late filing.

Now, if that wasn't poor enough record keeping for Eig and Corrada, for some reason, on August 26, 2014, Eig and Corrada filed papers with the Division of Elections indicating that Eig planned to run for Judge in 2016, again, in Group 76. At least that is what the Division of Elections is currently reporting.  We'll keep you updated on this.  ****We received an email from Mr. Corrada.  He has indicated that the paperwork filed on August 26, 2014 was meant for Judge Eig's reelection campaign in 2020.  Because the Division of Elections has not even opened a web page for that election cycle, they are reporting it as if Judge Eig is running in 2016.****

There are also 6 incumbent judges in County Court whose terms expire in 2016.

Of course, all of this is subject to change; judges getting elevated, retiring, etc.

Qualifying for the election is 15 months away and ends on May 6, 2016.  The election itself is 19 months from now and will take place on Tuesday, August 30, 2016.


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

AU REVOIR JUDGE YOUNG

We say “fare thee well” but not goodbye, to Judge David Young, who hangs up the robes this week, and leaves the comfy confines of our Justice Building for the bright lights of Broadway, Hollywood, and Television. We will miss him.

By our calculation, as a Prosecutor, County Court Judge, and Circuit Court Judge, David Young has given close to 25 years of service to the Citizens of Dade County. As much as we will miss him, the people he served will miss him more. Here’s why:

Judge Young’s tenure on the bench was marked by a strong streak of pragmatism. You never had to worry about an unfair result occurring because some poor unfortunate individual got mixed up in something where the law mandated a result that was unfair and unanticipated. Judge Young mixed a strong belief in fairness and common sense with a sharp legal mind. There was never a case, and there was never a day, when we rued appearing before Judge Young.

There are hundreds of stories out there where lawyers have credited Judge Young with stepping in and speaking with or chastising prosecutors who were seeking unreasonable or unfair results just because “the victim wants the max” or some other “head in the sand” reason.

We can’t finish our farewell to Judge Young without mentioning his campaign to make sure sexually active teens were engaging in protected sex. Judge Young was on the bench during the time AIDS ravaged this community. He often spoke of those he knew who died of AIDS. Perhaps many lawyers have thought that Judge Young’s lectures to teenagers who appeared before him were out of line. What we admire so much about Judge Young is that it appeared that he thought all the criticism in the world was worth it if he saved one young person from the early death of AIDS.

With all due respect to the current craze for conservative judges who keep their noses in their strict constructionist law books, we need more people like Judge Young, who saw wrongs, and quite simply, tried to right them.

We wish him well in his new endeavors.

We are happy to publish (with permission) the invitation to his going away soiree:

David’s last day is fast approaching.
Please join us to toast him farewell.
We will gather for Champagne and Hors De Oeuvres at:
La Loggia Ristorante (68 West Flagler Street) on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, 5:00 – 7:00.

ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY WEEKEND. GET OUT AND HAVE SOME FUN IN THE SUN.

See you in Court Tuesday, and knowing our penchant for free booze, maybe, just maybe, we’ll see you somewhere else.

PS. Today Judge Crist tubed the Court Appointment system. You get what you pay for. Just watch what happens now.

PSS. We put up a permanent link to the Broward Blog. It is to the left, just beneath our favourite federal blogger’s link. The adventure of the defense attorney who was harassed by the Broward Cops after a Broward DMV is a must read.