WEEKEND POTPOURRI

Update on the Jail Flu/Virus: Dade County Jail's crack medical team has isolated the sick inmates, and pursuant to the Geneva Convention, are ensuring that they have an adequate supply of running water, toilet paper which can be used as tissues, and bread. To accommodate ill inmates, the temperature in the quarantined area has been warmed to 58 degrees. Hot water, tea, saltine crackers and Tylenol are available for purchase at the commissary. 

Here are some random thoughts for your weekend: 

Who is the youngest person running for president? Donald J Trump!

More women than ever ran for president this election cycle. And yet the next president of the United States will be an old white male over the age of 74.  Why is that? 

While we want a younger president, we like older judges. There is a measure of life experience an older person has that cannot be duplicated. You have to live it to understand it and obtain it. 

Is Kathy Rundle's sudden embrace of bail/bond reform nothing more than an election cycle maneuver? Or has she sat behind her desk for decades fretting about how fair bond reform could be instituted in Florida? In other words, real leaders are out in front of issues- creating discussion and innovating solutions before problems arise. Bureaucrats spend their career putting out fires and struggling to keep the status quo. 

 If anyone has any evidence of our State Attorney exhibiting ANY concerns for bail reform circa 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 please pass it on to us and we will post it. 

Has our State Attorney addressed the REGJB Pandemic of ASAs announcing "The Victim wants the max" on most cases? Or is this not an election issue yet?

Are we being too hard on our State Attorney? Or are election years the only time we can get her to respond to issues? 

Did the 11th Judicial Circuit have a plan for keeping courts running  during unexpected social disruption other than a hurricane ("remain calm...go to Home Depot and stand in line for ten hours...get water...sigh of relief when storm misses us...) ? 

Or are the 117* administrative Judges too busy planning their next Judicial Conference topic: "Why a Well Run Richardson Hearing Means Never Having to Grant a Mistrial For a Discovery Violation."

Shouldn't we get out ahead of the curve here? 

What about Jury Duty? Should the Courts be clustering hundreds of strangers in a small room these next few weeks? 

What is being done to reduce court appearances? Any thoughts to video conferencing calendars?  

Why are ANY civil jury trials being scheduled at all? 

Is it possible our State Attorney will convene a council of advisors to review upcoming cases to see how many can be resolved without a jury trial? Or should Dade County citizens  throw their lives into the furnace of a pandemic because the State announces on a possession of cocaine case  or burglary of an unoccupied vehicle: "The officers/victims  want the max"? 

Or our leaders fiddling while Rome sneezes? 

COMING NEXT: If the court system will not respond to the pandemic, should citizens refuse to come to court for jury duty and misdemeanor cases? What if everyone called in and said they were not feeling well and the CDC guidelines recommend they stay home for two weeks? 

*Current Estimate subject to daily change.