A FINE MESS

A Circuit Court Judge is invested with the power to adjudicate the most serious cases filed at the trial level in circuit court.

In criminal court, a circuit court judge has the power to order the execution of a defendant when a majority of a duly selected jury recommends it.

In civil court, a circuit judge presides over the the most serious of cases, many of which involve complicated rules. The Florida Rules Of Civil Procedure prescribe what can be at times a complicated series of deadlines that lawyers have to navigate their case through. When a dispute arises over those deadlines, a circuit court judge is often required to lend their expertise and decide how the complicated rules and deadlines apply to that case.

What is with the circuit judges in Dade? First Judge Johnson can't file his retirement papers timely, and now comes word that Judge Adrien, whose current assignment is civil court, has had difficulty in following the rather simplified rules that govern Florida elections.

Adrien's campaign has been audited three times; the audit letters are here.

On October 15, 2009, Adrien's campaign was notified by letter that his campaign report for the third quarter of 2009 was incomplete. He was given three days to file a completed report.

On October 26, 2009 Adrien's campaign was notified again about the error and again given another three days to file a completed report.

On April 10, 2010 Adrien's campaign was notified that report it was supposed to have filed for the first quarter of 2010 was also incomplete.

On April 14, 2010 Adrien's campaign was fined for missing the deadline of having to file a treasurer's report by April 13, 2010. Pursuant to the rules and regulations of Florida's Campaign Laws, Adrien must pay the fine from personal funds and is prohibited from using campaign funds to pay the fine.

In the interest of full disclosure, Judge Adrien's opponent, Samantha Ruiz-Cohen received an Audit letter on April 14,2010 requiring the campaign to file a completed report for the first quarter of 2010. This is the only audit letter on file for her campaign, and her campaign hasn't been fined.

Shouldn't a Circuit Court Judge be able to run their campaign in the same prompt and efficient and timely manner that they require of the litigants who appear before them?

We offer Judge Adrien the UNEDITED use of the front page of this blog to respond. We will print in entirely any email he wishes to send us on this any other issue.

Are there any qualified candidates for Judge out there who can meet a deadline?

See You In Court.