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, July 14, 2008

RANCK WATCH D-DAY

Todays the day. Does the SAO continue its reign of terror firing anyone and everyone who crosses the path of the administration?

Voice a concern about a police shooting? YOU'RE FIRED!!

Accept a toy for charity in court? YOU'RE FIRED!!!

Lie about why you were fired? YOU'RE REALLY REALLY FIRED!!!

Sexually harass women employees? please resign whenever you feel most comfortable doing so.
Let's see what happens today. 

THE CASE THAT MADE MIAMI BURN

Courtesy of the Broward Blog we post this link to a Tampa St Pete Times article on former Miami Police Officer Bill Hanlon.

Recognize the name? Most lawyers and Judges will not. But longtime residents of Miami and the REGJB will remember Hanlon as one of the Officers who participated in the arrest of Arthur McDuffie. McDuffie who was an African-American,  died during the arrest and 8 officers were arrested. Hanlon testified in a Tampa courtroom against the other officers  but that was not enough and the officers were acquitted. This followed a long and tortious trail of cases in Miami before the whole mess was moved to Tampa. 

After the acquittal, Miami burned, as riots tore through our town. 
The article has a picture of a National Guardsman standing in front of a burning car. That's right folks. For all you young people, there was a time in the not too distant past when the National Guard patrolled this town, as chaos reigned. 

Then the Columbian drug lords moved in and everything quieted down. 

Bill Hanlon has completed law school. For the last 25 years he has led a life that has been nearly perfect and dedicated to making amends for his mistake. Hanlon did not kill McDuffie. He passed a lie detector as to whether he hit McDuffie. What Hanlon did do was participate in the cover-up to protect the cops who beat McDuffie to death. The article raises important issues as to whether there are certain actions that ever prevent a person from becoming an attorney in Florida.

With his tireless work as a guardian ad litem and mentoring of disadvantaged children it appears to us Hanlon deserves the chance to work as an attorney in Florida. 

Check out the article HERE

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

The word of the day!!!

Brought to you by the US Department of Labor. It's against the law to fire someone for no reason.


PROMONTORY: A prominent mass of land that overlooks a lower lying body of water.

Use: The Judge built her vacation home on a promontory with a great view. But then a fire came and destroyed the whole thing!!!!

The word of the day is brought to you by the guys formally known as fake matters and adelstein.

Anonymous said...

The jurist was a promontory overlooking the clash of ignorant armies, still wet behind the ears, thrashing around in their kiddie pool. Fake Anonymous.

Batman said...

When did we become such an unforgiving society that we can not recognize a good man rising from the ashes of his wrongdoing? Why do we celebrate such a story in movies and written fiction and not in real life? We preach redemption to our children when we bring religion into their lives, yet we grant none to those who have earned it.

Those of us who were around in 1980 know what happened and the injustice of the acquittals that followed. Of all of the culpable parties, Hanlon was the only one who came forward and acknowledged his participation. The others denied everything and after being acquitted went on their merry way. To now punish the only remorseful and repentant one is unconscienceable.

For the Supreme Court to determine that Hanlon's acts were so egregious as to deny him entry now or at any time in the future is beyond hypocritical. Considering the attorneys who have been convicted of innumerable felonies not being disbarred, judges who have committed criminal acts and not removed from the bench and applicants who have shown no history of rehabilitation from their own criminal acts, this decision smacks of politics and pandering. Obviously those most aggrieved by Hanlon's conduct think better of him than those who don't know him at all.

Anonymous said...

Jonathan Winston "Winnie" Blecher

Born: Bozeman Montana, July 4, 1951
educated: Case Western Military Reserve
Law School: Quinippiac University, where he minored in punditry.

Likes: Swensen's Ice Cream
Dislikes: Carvel

Anonymous said...

Second word of the day: verisimilitude, or having the appearance of being truthful. The SAO's position regarding Ranck lacks verisimilitude.

Anonymous said...

Ranck will be like the Walkers and Griecos of the SAO, or the fate of those such as the Christmas gift giving ASAs????

Time will tell.

Anonymous said...

Does this mean if he touches a co-worker on the buttocks he might save his job?

Anonymous said...

READ.....

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

The Hernando County State Attorney's Office plans to start offering some nonviolent defendants diluted sentences. The move is prompted by state budget cuts, which will force the office to prosecute some misdemeanor crimes less aggressively. Brad King, the elected state attorney in the 5th Judicial Circuit, said the new initiative is necessary to "move more cases expeditiously through the system." Under the plan — developed in consultation with the circuit's chief judge and public defender — prosecutors will try to resolve more cases earlier in the process by making attractive plea offers to entice defendants to resolve their cases immediately.

Read the entire article from the St. Pete Times at:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/
courts/criminal/
article695264.ece

CAPTAIN OUT .....

Anonymous said...

The greatest dance trax in history

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2YDq6FkVE

Anonymous said...

Dear Word of the Day dudes,

Two words, "free enterprise." Lincoln freed the slaves, you can quit your job at any time and for any reason, even no reason. Same too for your job, it can quit you at any time and for any reason.

Don't be stupid.

Anonymous said...

What a way to start the week by having a flashback to the 1980s. I was the only lawyer in the firm who could do the moonwalk.

10:12, could not agree more.

Attorney Rejected By The Princess,
proud member since 2008

Rumpole said...

WELL SAID CAPED CRUSADER

Anonymous said...

Guess Ranck is alive.

Anonymous said...

Hanlon was a killer + covered up until he wrongly was granted immunity. So was Charles Vaverka. They just got to the 'courthouse', AKA Adorno first.

All of the cops went on a rampage. All covered up. Some got immunity to testify. Others proved at trial that the immunized officers were more resposible for the killing than the ones who sat in the courtroom

That is why there were acquittals. That is why Miami burned and 18 people were killed in the McDuffie Riots.

That is why Hanlon should not be a member of my profession.

Batman said...

Old Guy,

You can not blame Hanlon for what happened after the trial. The riots were born out of the frustration of the community. How do you blame the guy who testified against the more culpable parties.

The fact that other police reacted to the rioting the way they did is not the fault of Hanlon either.

Your post makes no sense and lacks any coherent logic. Think about what you have written. Hanlon is responsible for: (1) a police riot that resulted from (2) a civil disturbance (3) ignited by an acquittal (4)in which Hanlon was the star prosecution witness.

You are correct about Vaverka being more culpable than he disclosed, but that was not true of Hanlon. The fact that Adorno and Yoss screwed up the investigation and prosecution is also not Hanlon's fault.

All of this still begs the question. Where is the redemption, the forgiveness and the recognition that a good man caught up in a bad act can become a good man again? If Hanlon's new self was just a few years old, I could understand, but this is 25 years of penance and good deeds. This is a man, admitted to the bar or not, who, without malice towards those who have denied him his due, continues to do the right thing.

Sometimes we must put down the bitterness which clouds our judgment and see things as they really are.

I repeat, it appears that those who are most aggrieved by Hanlon's actions are far more forgiving than those who do not know him at all.

Anonymous said...

CMON RUMP. Ranck did not get disciplined for complaining about a police shooting. Talk about taking sides. You know there's a lot more to this than that. His web postings have been totally unprofessional, to say the least. You can legitimately bash the office for a lot of things, this is not one of them.

Anonymous said...

hanlon should be in the bar. fer chrisakes jonathan schawrtz and al soven have bar cards and this guy cant get one?

Rumpole said...

Not publishing the comment about who dated whom. No private lives on the blog.

Anonymous said...

rump the fact that you wouldnt publish the common link between censored and censored shows that censored is rumpole

Anonymous said...

Rumpole and Batman re-read the old guys comments at Monday, July 14, 2008 5:03:00 PM

Since there is no video of what took place I am just sorry this guy can get the pope to write a letter and still I would not forgive him for murder.

He did not go to the FBI that day and say hey these guys killed this man. Why is it when someone get caught with there hand sin the cookie jar and then admit it they should get the blessing of all no matter how horrible the act.

I for one would like this man to move to another State. How many black men have died in the way his victim did. It all boils down to hate and cover ups.

Enough with the bull. Rumpole this is the reason we have the republican party is for comments like this saying set the muderer free!

The Florida Supreme Court got this one correct. Remember once he becomes a license attorney he need only wait 5 years to become a hateful Judge who send young black men to jail because of the color of there skin.

I am stunned at you Rumpole with all the great written words you have said on race and hate for you to utter the words of forgive for this man.

Unless you give me video showing what was what I have no room for this garbage talk. Again a man of character would have contacted the FBI immediately that same day.

Give me a freaking break!!!!!

Old guy at Monday, July 14, 2008 5:03:00 PM You said it correct and I ecko your words.

Anonymous said...

Jonathan "Thurston Howell" Blecher was actually raised in the bayous of North Miami Beach. I know, having in my possession his High School yearbook photos 9th thru 11th grade. Whilst he buckled his knickers below the knee. Before he became a "Pinecrest Dandy."

Anonymous said...

Oh, you mean the Hanlon who came forward before the autopsy? The one who watched / helped / killed {your choice} and did the 'right thing' for HIMSELF.

Yes, he was able to persuade Adorno and Yoss that they should grant immunity - before he had anything to disclose. Wise decision.

No, not for the concept of Justice. No, not because he was motivated to go after killer cops. He cut the best deal for Hanlon. He knew that the stories that every one of the killers had spoken and put into reports were complete lies. They killed a man out of anger. He kept silent, denied his own actions, and now what?

I still have my memo outlining to Ms. Reno why I thought Hank + George were wrong. She decided otherwise. I voted to prosecute Vaverka and Hanlon first. But that was late in 1979 and nothing would have brought Arthur McDuffie back.

Do I appreciate that Hanlon has tried to lead an honorable life since? Certainly. But the stain has not faded. Can he become a cop again? Nor should he be an attorney.

I still foolishly believe we are an honorable calling -- that our honor and trust are our finest tools. Hanlon did what he had to do to save his skin. Please do not confuse that with honor and trust.

Anonymous said...

i just got recon armor!