THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
"DOCTOR" STANFORD BLAKE .....
"I thought I was going to be a dentist.
I don't know why. After three chemistry
courses I said, 'This is not going to work.' "
The year was 1966. It was a fun time to be on campus at the University of Florida. But for freshman student Stanford Blake, it was all business. That was until he barely survived his first year of science classes. Then he switched to majoring in Advertising, even winning a national competition and earning job offers from NY ad agencies.
Fortunately for us, Stan didn’t want to live in cold weather NYC and really didn't see his future in advertising. NY’s loss - our gain. He went to the UM law school, and in his final year there, he interned at the Miami PD’s office. "He loved it "from the first day I went to court," Blake said.
"Your deodorant was failing you in 10 minutes,
but afterward you would say, 'What a rush!'"
He was hired by the PD’s office and spent five years there. Then 16 more in private practice as a criminal defense attorney. While he always thought that he might run for Judge one day, it wasn’t until Operation Court Broom that Stan thought seriously about it. He said:
"My disillusion with everything really made me move it up," .
"I was so upset that judges were on the take, and I said,
'Sometimes, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.' "
Elected in 1994, he took the bench the following January. Now, 21 years later, he reflected on his career in a story this past weekend in the DBR that can be found here.
In 1996, he took a brief leave from the bench to donate a kidney to his brother. He took another medical leave last year after doctors diagnosed him with cancer of the tonsils; which is related to the HPV virus and in men is often contracted through oral sex. He likes to joke about that scare:
"Lisa (his girlfriend) said I'm the only guy
who can brag about how he got cancer," Blake said.
It won’t be long before Judge Blake retires from the bench and goes the mediation route. While he is still on the bench, all of us in the criminal justice community want to say while we can: "Thanks for all the great memories" and all of your great years of service on the bench working for the citizens of our community. Well done my friend, well done.
CAPTAIN OUT .....
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteTHE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
WASHINGTON — Sen. Marco Rubio continues to block a South Florida judicial nominee he recommended to the White House and has likely killed her chances of being confirmed.
He refuses to say why.
On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee takes up five nominees and Mary Barzee Flores is not among them. Rubio through a spokesman declined to explain why he has not submitted a so-called blue slip for Barzee Flores, whom Rubio and Sen. Bill Nelson jointly recommended for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District.
"I have spoken with Rubio and he said he's not going to return the blue slip," Nelson told the Tampa Bay Times.
Full story is here: http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/rubio-continues-to-block-judicial-nominee-but-wont-say-why/2273913?utm_source=TBT_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DAILY%20BUZZ%20TEMPLATE%20%3E%3E%3E%204202016
Cap Out
Hon. Stan Blake is the best judge this circuit has ever seen
ReplyDeleteStan is a good judge because Stan is a good guy.
ReplyDeleteStan was the best host "Constitutional Controversies" ever had ...
ReplyDeleteKUDOS to Judge Seraphin for wearing those Prince clothes to the bench today. Seraphin takes a lot of heat on here, but it's great to see him show some personality and his own love for Prince. As a musician and artist Prince was fearless, sui generis, and his life is an invitation to all of us to be bold and full of joy and sex and life.
ReplyDeleteI never thought Id see the day when a male judge wears so much eyeliner though!
If youre still in REG, go check out 4-11
Stan, the Man! Everyone loves this judge!
ReplyDeleteStan is a great gator and TEP.
ReplyDeleteThank you Judge Blake for bringing attention to the issues of both organ donation and awareness of cancer with your upfront handling of it. Awareness and knowledge is the key to dealing with that. And thank you for your years on the bench.
ReplyDeleteJust received an advertisement for a seminar. Of the nine judges who are alleged to be "distinguished", one sold Amway in her husbands law office, never tried a jury trial or even appeared in court. Another was a SAO gang prosecutor with no civil expereince and spent her entire career at the sao. Another was counsel to the Boys and Girls club and had no trial experience. Yet another was a lifer SAO although she has an impressive number of criminal trials. A male was a State Farm subro attorney who lost to Judge Maxine Cohen before he became a judge and hangs out smoking his cigars across the street at La Logia. Another, bought her way in and was sanctioned for campaign dishonesty altough she has an ivy league law degree but has no impressive trial experience or working with a top notch law firm.Only Gill who left Greenberg is impressive and worth listening to. Finally Rebull was with Broad and Cassel but probably never tried any jury trials although he left a lucrative firm to take the bench.. All except Gill are fairly new to the circuit bench and this shows why our bench is probably the worst it has ever been. If anyone pays to hear these people tell you "Want You to Know" one would have to be crazy to pay for this. And the moderator is a well known attorney who father chased ambulances for him and his brother and barely escaped a Florida bar investigation alleging he didnt know what his father was doing. Ovrall a sad cast of characters.
ReplyDeleteStan's the Man! He's missed in the civil courthouse. Another great judge lost to the family court, due to an awful civil courthouse! Miami-Dade badly needs a new courthouse.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTHE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
Yet another 5-2 decision by the Florida Supreme Court....
It seems that nearly every decision these days is 5-2, with Canady and Polston united on the "other side" to that of Lewis, Quince, Labarga, Pariente, and Perry.
Today the Court rules that "individuals who are being questioned by authorities have to be told when a lawyer is present".
To read the case of State v. Michael McAdams, go here:
http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/decisions/2016/sc14-788.pdf
Cap Out .....
Way way way overrated
ReplyDeleteJust ask the lawyers in the Boston-FBI case. \
Couldn't have screwed it up worse if his name was Jackie Schwartz.
Sitting in Boston 3000 miles away. yeah a gun was used. Good call. NOT
While we are on the subject of the civil bench is anyone paying attention to what Hanzman is doing there. Yesterday I got a 22 page order taking apart a commercial libility duty to defend a wrongful death case. This dude writes like a US Supreme Court justice and cranks out substantive orders tackling complex issues on almost a daily basis. Guy is a judicial animal. So before you bemoan our entire civil bench take a look around.
ReplyDelete1:25 is spot on. Some of us lawyers should teach the judiciary what they should know. There is nothing I could learn from this group.
ReplyDeleteThe defense bar and league of prosecutors should collaborate on a CLE on how to be an effective judge. This group has no business telling experienced trial lawyers anything
ReplyDelete9:15 - your sour grapes are showing. Stan Blake is a kind, decent and hard-working man who has made the lives on innumerable defendants and victims (and their families) better because he cares and is fair. I am so very glad that I had a chance to practice before him. He is a treasure, both in and out of the courtroom.
ReplyDeleteHe does look a tad like Harry Reems though
ReplyDeleteHanzman is a rarity on the bench. Gave up a lucrative practice and took a huge pay cut. He is very smart and its too bad we do not have more like him.
ReplyDeleteI interned in his court room and had a great experience. A criminal defense attorney asked me to do his case in Judge Stanford Blake's court room because of the great work he saw me do; however, I replied I intern with the State.
ReplyDelete