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.

Friday, May 22, 2009

THE PAYOFF

45 years after 3 civil rights workers were brutally slain, Philadelphia, Mississippi, a town synonymous with deep south "justice" and racial hatred, has elected its first African American Mayor. 

The election of Pentecostal Minister James A Young on Tuesday means that James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner did not die in vain.  The title of the post links to the NY Times story. 

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS QUOTE?

In a speech at the National Archives on Thursday, President Obama had this to say when announcing that he was ordering the transfer of one detainee from Guantanamo to the United States for trial: 

“Preventing this detainee from coming to our shores would prevent his trial and conviction,” Mr. Obama said.

We're transferring a prisoner FROM Cuba, TO the United States for a quick "trial and conviction"???
Seems to us  that makes our judicial system no better than say, Cuba's, or Iran's. 

If the President of the United States announces the beginning of a procedure sure to end with a "trial and conviction" is there any hope this guy gets a fair trial? 

We expect better from a guy who touts his experience as a former professor of Constitutional law. Or have they done away with the presumption of innocence at the University of Chicago? 

16 comments:

old guy said...

Stop being a Dick, Rumpy. Obama mis-spoke.

The last clown who held the office could not form a single sentence. He would only speak when his handler - Cheney - approved the script.

Even then, he mangled the words.

In whose Presidency do YOU think that this guy in Guantanamo will get a more fair trial? DUH!

Rumpole said...

How did you discern that my first name was Richard???

Anonymous said...

There's a war going on the civil blog with all our blog characters- fake blecher, fake alex michaels, the whole mispucha.

Anonymous said...

Based on Obama's statement the defense should move for a change of venue to, say, the Hague or some other country such as Hialeah.

Anonymous said...

Andy Hague? He's in Branch Court Gables.

Anonymous said...

Rump, you must have had way too good of a time of it last night or else you are spending too much time on the farm. The word is "vain" not "vane" as in weather vane. And they did die in vain. They were murdered. Pure and simple. Whatever happened afterward is irrelevant. It is also inevitable. Are you suggesting that if the murders did not happen, the South today would be what it was in 1963. No way. There were civil rights martyrs long before the South began to change. Many people were lynched after the Civil War and up to the 1950's. Their actions did nothing to spur change in the South. Ditto the millions who died fighting communism in the Soviet Union in the 1930's. But be that as it may. Having a black mayor in Philadelphia, Mississippi is a good thing as far as symbolism goes but beyond that, it has no concrete value. The performance of black urban elected officials in the US since 1960 proves that they are not very different from the white people they replaced and for the most part continue to work with. That is, they are governed by greed, self interest, patronage, and make damn sure their supporters and contributors can suck off the tit of government while the rest of us suckers get stuck paying for it all. Equality at last. God bless America!

Rumpole said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rumpole said...

Yes- I did not edit my comment carefully and spelled "vain" incorrectly.

I gave a speech on these three young men a few years ago at a ceremony that is not relevant here. At that time a few more defendants had been indicted in their murders.

They were murdered working to correct wrongs that our country should be ashamed of.

But as long as we remember them. As long as their names are synonymous with the civil rights struggle in Philadelphia, Mississippi, then I choose to say they did not die in vain. That like many martyrs before them, we will remember their names, their courage, their deeds, long after the names of their cowardly assassins have faded to ash heap of history.

Anonymous said...

What, no "Silent Charlie--Day 6?"

This story has no traction, Rumpole.

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

JUDICIAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE ..

In Group 62, which will be an open seat next year, candidate Robert Kuntz now has an opponent:

Juan-Carlos "J.C." Planas

Juan-Carlos "J.C." Planas is 38 years old and has been a member of The Florida Bar for 10 years.

He is best know, for the past eight years, as the Representative for State House District 115 in the House of Representatives of Florida.

He received his Bachelors degree from the Florida State University in 1993 and his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University College of Law in 1998 and still practices law when not in Tallahassee.

Little Known Factoid: His Great-grandfather Casimiro Hernandez was Mayor of Cabaiguan, Cuba

JC was an Assistant State Attorney from 1998-2002.

He was, for a short time, a law partner of Brian Tannebaum.

He is term limited and has decided not to run for the Florida Senate, instead opting for the run for Circuit Court Judge.

CAPTAIN OUT .....

Anonymous said...

As to Planas, you left out the part about him being a politician in the worst sense of the word. Strictly ambition and NO substance.

He also was one of the worst ASA's to deal with. Always certain, but nearly always WRONG.

Sure, lets's make this guy a Judge.

Anonymous said...

JC Planas has mucho dinero and Robert Kuntz doesnt.

OLD PD said...

A few posts ago someone asked for an update on "super PD intern" Joey "Bag o donuts" Danner.

Here's what I remember from the PDs office.

Danner was a very quiet, sort of odd looking guy with almost red hair and very pasty skin. He was polite but very quiet. Waiting the bar results, he was living at that "hotel" on 17th across from some of the medical buildings.

Danner was helping out some pd on an agg battery case before Margolius in 1998 or 1999. They picked the jury on Monday and Tuesday the PD called in sick. Margolius hit the roof and said "screw it" we're going to trial.

By the time the PD administration hit the courtroom Dannner had done openings and was cross examining the first cop. And doing a great job- using the contradictions in his testimony against him with his depo- Except one problem- DANNER DIDN'T HAVE THE FILE. HE WAS DOING IT FROM MEMORY.

We asked him how he did it and he sort of shrugged and said he had the file home over the weekend and read it. The kid had a photographic memory and no one knew it except him.

So the trial goes on and he kicks ass, and by the time we get to the JOA MArgolius is roasting the state and reserves on the JOA so Danner can get his not guilty. Which he does.

Afterwards Margolius tells us that he was never going to let the trial go beyond the first witness. He was waiting for us to show up so he could hold the office in contempt and declare a mistrial

Danner got the nickname "bag of donuts" because the same PD he worked for showed up late before Postman and Postman held him in contempt and ordered him to bring a bag of donuts the next day. The PD forgets but Danner shows up and lays two donuts on the clerk's table. Postman says he asked for a "bag of donuts.' Danner says :oh yeah"- reaches into his pocket, pulls out a crumbled bag, puts the two donuts into them, and says "here's the bag of donuts."

He was famous after that. The kid was quiet, rumpled, dissheveled most of the time, and brilliant and a lion in court.

He was rumored to have the perfect or highest bar score his year, and graduated something like summa cum laude from Pepperdine. After a year or so he returned to California and last I heard he was still living in a flophouse, was renting space from some lawyers, and between representing mostly poor people, had hit the state for a few mutli-million dollar wrongful arrest cases. He is rich now, but still drives a beaten up Ford Taurus, still buys ill fitting clothes that rarely see a cleaner, does not shave often, his hair is still messed up, and he has turned down partnership offers from some very prestigious law firms to continue representing PD type clients and suing the cops when he can.

Anonymous said...

jc planas had much dinero until his daddy went broke in the american car business. planas will not be a good judge. planas is not a good lawyer.

Anonymous said...

Interesting JC Planas, running for Judge even after the legislature cut judicial pay by 2% and Chrysler cut the Planas dealership.

Anonymous said...

JC Planas was not a good state representative, either. He's not well liked in the Republican party and would not get much support from the GOP for a state senator race.