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.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

JUDGE JOHNSON GETS AN OPPONENT

THIS IS A JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG APD- WHERE IS JEFF SWARTZ? WHERE WILL HE GO? WHAT WILL HE DO? WHAT RACE WILL HE JUMP INTO? WHERE IS PAT KOPCO? WHERE IS MIGUEL DE LA OVER?
ALL SUSPECTS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE AMBITIOUS AND UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF 'ROBE FEVER". APPROACH WITH CAUTION. CARRYING WHAT APPEARS TO BE A CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION MAY REPEAT MAY CALM THEM DOWN.

(Rumpole says: here we go.... PD " It's no Picnic " update, below. )

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

BREAKING NEWS .....

Judge William Johnson has drawn an opponent. Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat has paid the qualifying fee and is in. He is a member of The Florida Bar for 35 years. General Practice, Solo and Small Firm,,and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, and Tax. According to his web site, the firm handles legal matters in the following practice areas: Federal Taxation, Commercial Litigation, Real Estate, Personal Injury, Automobile Accidents, Slip and Fall, Family Law, Divorce, Child Support, Probate, Bankruptcy.


ALSO .....Jeffrey Swartz is out. Adrien and Ruiz Cohen are in.

CAPTAIN OUT .....


IT'S NO PICNIC TO BE A PD

Long hours, low pay, ungrateful clients......and now no PD Picnic.

Yes, it's our sad duty to report that one of the mainstays and traditions of the PDs office- the annual spring picnic, has been canceled, allegedly because of lack of interest.

And why was interest in the picnic lagging? Because, as we have reported before, morale is in the toilet as Silent Charlie's House of Blues.

Now the secretaries are evaluating the attorneys.

There is a pervasive "Stallinist" atmosphere of fear in the hallways. PDs are wondering who is whispering about them; who is trying to curry favour with the big wigs on 5 by whispering behind their backs.

"If you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear"

That is the slogan being peddled in the House of Blues.

Kind of like "if you're not guilty, you should have no reason to want a lawyer."

They should know better than that at the House of Blues. For shame.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

FYI--Chomat is a former State Rep.

Rumpole said...

Jack of all trades...master of none.

Anonymous said...

rumpole look at the dade county bench--how many of them were masters of anything before getting elected or appointed??????? very few...come on!!!!

Rumpole said...

I'm just sayin...thats all,

Anonymous said...

Why is the Jack of all trades, necessarily a master of none? Maybe he's master of a few? I never heard of the guy - I'm just sayin... Maybe he's the Ace of Cakes?
Could be worse ... he could be another Queen of Hearts. Who's the Queen of Hearts? Who in the REG wears a black robe and has red hair?

Anonymous said...

I am a line PD and I have no fear in any evaluation whatsoever. I visit my clients at the jails and on the bridge, set depos and take cases to trial if it is in my client's best interest and plea them out when it is in their best interest to do so. With that being said, there is a bunch of PDs, old and new alike, who need to be replaced with PDs who are actually there to be criminal defense lawyers and provide counsel to indigent persons. We have too many that are just PDs for the social aspect of being a PD or because they don't want to work too hard. They need to go. Being a PD is not just a cozy government job. It is a calling, a belief system, an ideology about doing what is right despite the fact what your client did is most likely reprehensible. So go ahead 5th floor, evaluate me and everyone else. Hopefully, the dead weight will be fired and the true believers rewarded.

Anonymous said...

Catalano is very fond of using that phrase, Rumpole...

Anonymous said...

Rumpole
Years ago [ in the mid 80's], when I did civil and criminal , I tried a Contract case against Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat, in front of Robert Kaye at 73 W Flagler. He was a Gentleman, a pleasure to oppose and brought a check to our office w/in a week of my wining the Jury trial ( my only civil jury trial). I have not seen him in years, but if he is the same man, civil, polite & humorous, he has the Tempermete to be a fine Judge.
D. Sisselman

Anonymous said...

William Johnson is a kind and decent man who deserves tostay on the bench

Anonymous said...

William Johnson is a fine and decent judge who deserves to stay on the bench

Slugger Chomat said...

Don't you all remember this guy got into a brawl on the House floor with another State Rep over school vouchers.

Google the guy, Sisselman before you say he has a good Tempermete (sic).

Enlightened Chomat said...

Nice move, Jorge.

Powerbroker Chomat said...

1998: Two of reinstated Mayor Joe Carollo's closest friends have signed on as lobbyists for one of the mayor's most celebrated foes.

Joseph Geller and George DePontis have registered as lobbyists for All Service Refuse Co., Inc., a garbage-hauling subsidiary of Republic Industries. Geller, a lawyer, lobbyist, and chairman of the Dade County Democratic Party, helped Carollo successfully challenge the results of the November mayoral election. DePontis is a campaign adviser and one of Carollo's closest confidants. The man behind Republic, of course, is Wayne Huizenga.

When Carollo lost power this past November, Huizenga worked to secure a good relationship with new mayor Xavier Suarez. All Service paid State Rep. Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat (R-Miami) to push its agenda before the Miami City Commission. Rodriguez-Chomat, one of Suarez's strongest supporters, began lobbying commissioners to turn over control of the city's commercial waste contract to All Service. For years the contract has been split among some 30 smaller companies that pick up trash from private businesses, industrial sites, condominiums, and apartment complexes throughout the city. In exchange the haulers return a cut of their gross revenues to Miami.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole
I only spoke of my experience w/ Jorge. As to My old Friends Joe Geller & George DePontis ( RIP) I have know each since the 19os. George died in the 90's I think. Joe & I were on the old Dade County Youth Council in High School and went to FSU together. We are frat brothers in AEPi, drove up to FSU together.
DS

Anonymous said...

This time no one can save Johnson.