Thursday, June 26, 2008

REMEMBERING JOE REYES

Woops:

The DBR reported on Judge Jeri Beth Cohen's campaign faux pas:

" Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen, who is facing an election challenge, committed an “unintentional violation” of a judicial canon by speaking at a Coral Gables Area Democratic Club meeting without her election opponent present, the Dade County Bar Association concluded. The Bar’s judicial campaign practices commission found that Cohen violated Canon 7 of the Code of Judicial Conduct. That canon states a candidate for judicial office can speak on issues at a political party function that “must not be a fundraiser, and the invitation to speak must also include the other candidates.”

WOOPS

JOE REYES MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

The 3rd Annual Joseph A. Reyes Golf Tournament will take place on Saturday June 28, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. at the County Club of Miami. For those who may remember, Joe Reyes was a long time Assistant Public Defender who tragically passed away in 2004. Joe was an outstanding trial lawyer who earned the respect of everyone he worked with, including State Attorneys and Judges. Joe was also a great friend who is dearly missed. After his death, the Public Defender Golf Tournament was renamed in his honor. A scholarship endowment was set up in his name at FIU to award a scholarship to a law student planning to work in public interest.

If you would like more information about playing, please contact:
Kim Cole at FIU - (305) 349-1440 or Harlan Sands - (205) 329-3709
Thanks for your support-
Mike Wasserman
Marco Quesada

42 comments:

  1. Joe was a great guy and this is a great idea.

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  2. Besides our own Jay White now running the Florida bar (Jay- do somethin about these CLE hours will ya?) another Justice Building Boy makes good.

    Our own Jon Bleacher now runs a successful sports web site: www.thebleacherreport.com.

    Way to Go.

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  3. Thanks to everyone who made yesterday's word of the day "swell" so successful. It was a swell day.

    Today's word is "arrant."

    Use: With all due respect to the prosecution, Mr. Laeser's theory of the case is arrant nonsense.

    Question: what other ways is arrant properly used besides "arrant nonsense"?

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  4. It wasnt the usual red ants that ruined our picnic and kept getting into our food. It was those damn arrants that kept flying up into our grills.

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  5. Arrant is what the trialmaster(in his own mind) does when banned from the blog.

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  6. Mr. Manny Segarra aka dufus youtube star is in hot water.

    Elections

    Foreclosed condo not on judge candidate’s campaign filing

    By: Billy Shields

    Manny A. Segarra III has a homestead exemption on a Miami condo that he says is the financial responsibility of his mother. .....

    Note to his opposition: Lying on your financial disclosure form 6 is grounds to be removed from the ballot.

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  7. All I hear from her is a rant and rave. Fake Anonymous

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  8. There is an arrant smell in the bathroom on the first floor.

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  9. Not the same Jay White. Florida Bar President Jay White is a civil litigator. Might be in WPB. It is not the Jay White who frequests the hallways of the MJB.

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  10. http://www.law.edu/alumni/CUALawyer/issues/spring2001/Beyondbeltway.cfm

    From a few years ago...No wonder she isn't remodeling her home...

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  11. To the editor:

    We were chagrined — indeed surprised — by the June 12, 2008, article concerning a draft letter that had been circulated to about two dozen potential supporters of Judge Jeri Beth Cohen. Significantly, the article implied that Judge Cohen did something improper with respect to seeking signators on the letter. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Judge Cohen played absolutely no role in seeking signators, because Canon 7 of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct prohibits her from doing so. As a result, Judge Cohen relied on her campaign committee to write and circulate the letter.

    In this instance, five of us worked on the letter, suggested signators, and circulated it electronically to the proposed signators. Most of us assumed that every signator had agreed to sign the letter, and when we learned that a few could not or would not, their names were simply removed. The remaining lawyers — including twelve prominent Cuban-American lawyers — signed on, and another draft was re-circulated. This is typical campaign fare (as is circulating proposed signators) and is certainly not news, let alone front page, above-the-fold news. Judge Cohen’s opponent’s attempt to imply that we — or worse, Judge Cohen — did something surreptitious is absurd.

    Our committee believes that judicial races should be run on the merits, and that our community is interested in judicial excellence rather than mean-spirited or ethnic politics.

    Judge Cohen has presided with judicial courage and integrity, and exhibited personal humility, apologizing to the CABA Board when she made an insensitive comment years ago.

    She has created programs for people addicted to alcohol and drugs, and has helped families put themselves together again.

    It is ironic and embarrassing that this committed and highly effective jurist must now withstand petty and distorted attacks.

    Given what has transpired thus far, we fear that this one-sided mudslinging may continue.

    We urge the Daily Business Review to resist this muckraking, and instead encourage a judicial race on the merits. Our bench — and our community — deserves no less.



    Ramon A. Abadin

    Alan J. Kluger

    Hector J. Lombana

    Cristina Pereyra-Shuminer

    Pamela I. Perry

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  12. Jeri Beth was a pain in the ass when she was a criminal court judge.

    She is getting what she has coming to her.

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  13. How about:

    Judge Mike Carr of Collier County was in such arrant the other day that he threw Jonathan Schwartz in jail.

    Does that count?

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  14. Judge Cohen is an excellent judge. I have been in front of her numerous times in the civil division. It is unfortunate that she is being smeared because of these hyper technical violations.

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  15. You know the funny thing about Atty Conways comments calling Judge Aleman a Evil Unfair Witch is the bar complaint and now the Fla Supreme Court taking his side, is that while a few blog spectators may have read the comment calling her a Evil Unfair Witch, it now may end up on the books as case law for future generations to know Judge Aleman as the Evil Unfair Witch.

    BREAKING NEWS:

    The Florida Supreme Court is questioning a proposed settlement brokered by The Florida Bar in a disciplinary case against a Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney for his critical comments about a judge.

    The court asked for more information from The Bar and attorney Sean Conway on Monday. It issued an order directing them “to show cause” by July 14 whether “any of the respondent’s comments should be considered protected speech under the First Amendment.”

    “It looks like the First Amendment is alive and well in Broward County, Florida,” Conway said in response to the order.

    Conway was charged with violating professional conduct rules when he called Broward Circuit Judge Cheryl Aleman an “evil unfair witch” who is “seemingly mentally ill” on a court blog. Conway posted the comments on JAABlog in 2006 while complaining the judge set felony trials one to two weeks after arraignment.

    Conway, a Florida attorney since 1996, agreed to a public reprimand from the Bar, and the settlement was approved this month by the case referee.

    The justices asked the two sides to say whether Conway had an “objectively reasonable basis” to make his comments and cited a 2001 disciplinary case noting attorneys “play an important role in exposing valid problems within the judicial system.”

    Separately, Aleman is appealing a state Judicial Qualifications Commission recommendation calling for a Supreme Court reprimand for engaging in a pattern of arrogant and discourteous conduct.

    Aleman, Bar attorney Alan Anthony Pascal, did not return calls for comment by deadline.

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  16. jeri beth is either really stupid, or truly thinks she is above the law. i don't think she is stupid. look forward to seeing her attempt to succeed in private practice, with all the attorneys she has treated so disrespectfully for so many years. but she's still hot.

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  17. "arrant" anybody going to look at the broward blog, looks like those crazy north of the border guys are at it again. It's now the PD with a show.

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  18. @ Fake Matters and Adelstein ....

    Love the new word of the day. Here's my attempt.

    Not to go off on "arrant" here, but does anyone else get annoyed by the lines to get in to the Broward County Courthouse?

    Does that work?

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  19. Rumpole who is "Jerri" I thought it was "Jeri"

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  20. Anyone with half a brain knows that Alan Mishael is a sore loser, didn't get famous representing Joe Cubas and like a petulant child who didn't get his way put up Abbie Cuellar for Judge, because he himself could never get elected.

    Mr. Mishael has made a name for himself representing foster parents and charging them oooodles of money, all the while, not doing work that is worthy of those good citizens paying him. Of course, he still has no secretary so he can't be too successful.

    Additionally, Jeri Cohen may scream and holler and be downright rude, but her results in dependency court show that her tough love, brazen demeanor brings about results that are favorable to children and families in Miami Dade.

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  21. oh

    my

    god

    Big Duh is going to win by default, and be a judge.

    what a joke.

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  22. Mario Garcia has been in the race way before stacey Glick. So to whoever is trying to infer that he just jumped in the seat because she is jewish- you did not do enough research.

    Mario did not pull a "Migna" and jumped into a race against a jewish candidate just because of his last name- he was already there before Stacey Glick.

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  23. Judge Cohen does it again! Perhaps Judge Cohen will explain it as follows (multiple choice so the board of CABA can puff away!) :
    1.___ “I make a mistake, I was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people” - I am sorry, please forgive me;
    2.___ “This is a misunderstanding, I misunderstood this was a political party fund raiser” - I am sorry, please forgive me;
    3.___ “I am sorry, I thought everyone in Miami was a member of the Democratic party, aren’t they the party of Cuba” - I am sorry, please forgive me;
    4.___ “I though I was a judicial conference, heck I even ordered a CORONA, I like beer, and CORONA is good beer,” - I am sorry, please forgive me;

    CABA Board Response: We, along with Hector “Tony Soprano” Lombana, will protect you, you managed to graduate form Harvard, so you cannot be all bad, it is a pity you cannot keep things straight, we understand you are over worked and stressed. Oh, you must stop the CORONA! It is good beer, but if the minions in Miami and Hialeah find out you are drinking Mexican Beer, they will call you a commie, and that would not be a good thing, so VIVA CORONA!!!

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  24. Jerri Beth Cohen keeps making mistakes. You can call them "a couple of technical violations" but enough is enough. She keeps violating the rules and then apologizes for it. How could she ever go to a democratic party event and address the people at the audience without knowing that she cannot be present at such political meetings......duh.

    What she did is absolutely unethical and I am starting to believe that she is doing it on purpose.

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  25. Hahaha, the article on Judge Cohen is hillarious. So many rules, so easy to break them. If it was the first time, I'd get over it, but second violation in a the last few days,hmmmm. I guess that's what happens when you are in the politics world- everyone is in your business. Speaking of the first violation, whatever happened to that?

    Good job Judge Cohen! One piece of advice- don't have your peeps respond to the accusations on the blog. People will think what they will think- there is no fixing it, even if the article twisted the truth- you know how it is, journalists have to pay rent (ie. twist truth) as well. But it does give us a good laugh and some free entertainment. Viva USA and viva free speech.

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  26. Looks like Jeri Beth is the target of a bunch of spoiled brats (Abbie Cuellar, Alan Mishael, and their client Joe Cubas) who can't believe they lost the Cuban custody case.

    Jeri gave those folks a good trial.

    It's despicable to see the losing attorneys attack a judge like that.

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  27. I was at ABP the other day and I arrant into Raoul, Howie and Murray.

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  28. Jeri Beth Cohen is on the way out. They are after her for all stupid things she has said over the years.

    She is deep inside a really nice person but, those anti Cuban comments were impossible to apologize for.

    The recent stuff is downright stupid.

    Jeri, please retire honorably.

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  29. Alan Mishael and Abbie Cuellar got a fair shake from and can't grasp the fact. The Cubas' were sold a bill of goods. Now, Mishael needs to pretend it was the judge's fault.

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  30. Arrant to be alone.

    Fake Greta Garbo

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  31. Jeri Cohen, somedays one of the best Judges around and other days she is complete mess. So the question is; does the days she is a complete mess justify her being removed as a Judge? The answer is easy, YES. Why? Would you want to be the child, parent or attorney who caught Jeri on one of her bad days?

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  32. Captain, you are on the late show....

    about Garcia. Check out the pending civil case 06-7931 (Amencer Investment v. Amencer Christian Network). Garcia was just mentioned in a very recent Emergency Motion for an Injunction written & filed by 2 associates of Holland & Knight whereby it's alleged that Garcia purchased a Christian radio station at FAR below market value from a Judgment Debtor so as to help the Debtor avoid paying it's debt (the original subject of the case) to the Judgment Creditor. And Garcia allegedly formed "Garcia Communications, Inc." to purchase this radio station, not only after the judgment had been entered against the judgment debtor, but even later... the very day AFTER the Judgment creditor filed its Affidavit of Non-Payment with the Court. Sounds EXTREMELY shady to me.

    Don't know, but at worst it seems like fraud, and at best, some seriously questionable ethical decisions on Garcia's behalf.

    Garcia a Judge? Yeah right!

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  33. Arrant is warrant written on a keyboard with a non-working "W" key.

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  34. Abby Cuellar a spoiled brat? Hardly. She is a hard worker, cares about the rights of children, and would give all who appear before her a fair and reasonable ruling. On the other hand, you have a judge who rests on her Harvard laurels (after 25 years since graduation, who gives a damn where you went to school), who rants and raves and uses the judicial bench as her personal soapbox. Her whiny, consescending demeanor bespeaks her fundmental belief hat she is better/smarter than everyone else. I agree with the earlier post on this blog that she is now getting what she has coming to her. When you are a judge, you are supposed to follow the "technicalities" of the law!

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  35. Jeri Beth Cohen on her worst day is better than Abby Cuellar on her best. There is no comparison. Judge Cohen was targeted because of her quite correct rulings against Cuellar's clients. This race is as simple as that.

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  36. 6:54............you obviously don't have a clue. Cohen "resting on her Harvard laurels?" You're a joke. She is one of the hardest working and best read judges this county will ever see. You may find her whiny (as do many of us), but you can't question her intelligence, love of the law, desire to help the community or diligence. If you want to criticize her, fine. That's your right. At least be honest.

    BTDT

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  37. its so evident that Mr. Mishael is looking for anything to avenge what he perceives as the misjustice in the Joe Cubas trial.

    The sad part is that Abbie Cuellar is a competent lawyer with a good reputation, by aligning herself with someone like Alan Mishael she has alienated a tremendous amount of lawyers and lost much of her credibility.

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  38. There are very few Judges who care as much as Judge Jeri Beth. She is so bright. She works hard. She is always prepared. Her election is a no brainer. Ms. Cuellar, if she really wanted to be a Judge, had other races to run where either the candidates are incopetent and/or the incumbant is unworthy. This shows her true motivation--that is disgusting.

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  39. Truthfully, Cuellar is just resting on her Rutgers' laurels.

    Besides the CABA presidents who are supporting Cohen, what else does she have? (Besides more balls than the spineless judges who recused themselves on makeweight reasons to avoid a political hot potato.)

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  40. any judge who makes statements which are prejudice in nature like Jeri Beth made has no place on the bench in a community where that prejudice would bias her judgement on a case dealing with any hispanic..I don't care where she went to school, she should be smarter but you don't need to be a genius to get into Harvard, you could be dumb as a stump and lack common sense

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  41. My children father is wheelchair bound paralyzed one side of his body judge jerri beth cohen denied him from having custody of the children even he pays someone to help take care them.. But dcf case worker allow him to ride the children on his wheelchair from their office to park or anywhere he wants both babies 3/2years old I wrote the judge a letter saying that endanger my children life.. She ignored it one end up fallen off ambulance came... then she decide for him have someone else to help if he wanna take them to the park or anywhere...... That's not fair!!!!

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