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.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

MORE BAD NEWS

 More bad news struck today. The email at 9:36 a.m., apparently official...The PDs Holiday party is officially CANCELED

 From Carlos Martinez: 

This was a tough call to make as we are reminded every day of how much personal contact we have lost during the past few months. I am personally disappointed that we will not be able to express our gratitude in person to you. But we need to prioritize everyone's health and safety.

Well done Mr. Martinez. This is what leaders do. They make tough and unpopular decisions regardless of the political consequences.  

Bear (and bare) with us as we reminisce a bit. 

It used to be the party of the year. We are not talking about the teens or the 00's or the 90s. But the late 70's and early 80's. Those were PD parties with a capital P that rhymes with pool and the party was cool. 

Intoxicating substances, some of which the possession of which violated certain sections of chapter 893, flowed freely. Court reporters dressed to (and some undressed) to impress. It was a time and a place that depending on the evening and the company, you could - and we are stealing a Woody Allen joke from Annie Hall- do to a judge or a prosecutor what they did to your client in court. (See the clip below). 

Alcohol was consumed and inhibitions were left at the door. It was Miami's own piece of Vegas for a Friday night/Saturday morning- what happened at the PD party stayed at the PD party. 

Yes, those were the days. And now, sigh, we stay isolated, contacting the world digitally via Zoom and Facetime and texting. The Chateauneuf de Pape (try and get 2005,2006, 2007, 2009 or 2010) is consumed alone, with maybe some KC and the Sunshine Band playing softly in the background. 

But Mr. Martinez is right. Better safe than sorry. Reports are that 20 million Americans could be infected with the virus before the end of the year. A vaccine is on the horizon and we will have a bang-up blow-out party next year, and maybe, just maybe, Rumpole will do something he hasn't done since we had a President whose middle name was Jefferson- attend the PD party. 

Until then, we raise a glass of wine to those days when life was carefree and the only virus that was deadly was transmitted when the parties were in pari delicto nec revelabis turpitudinem.

COMING UP: What Rumpole is Thankful for. (And shockingly, more than one judge made the list!). 


The Joke we are referencing starts at 2:18 in the clip. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Me, I am thankful that Jeri Beth Cohen is gone and Dava Tunis will be gone soon.

I had a drug court hearing with Laura Cruz and what a difference. She read the file before court, was polite and sincere and didn't fuck with my client just to show how powerful she is. I also noticed that the ASA and APD don't have that tortured look anymore.

Yup.... very thankful.

Anonymous said...

I understand that a lot of folks had a problem with Judge Cohen, but dealing with substance abusers takes more of a stick than it does a glove. I hope that Judge Cruz keeps some pressure on because there are very few categories of people as effectively manipulative as drug abusers.

Anonymous said...

RUMPOLE ... Have you lost a ton of your savings in the market melt up? You were shorting and your strategy didn’t seem to earn a spot on the market timing Hall of Fame.

Will you let us know your thoughts now? Volatility index seems low and there is much money on the sidelines. Do you like Alternative Energy play with the Biden administration coming in? Tesla on the S&P admission? Amazon during pandemic high numbers? Apple with 5G?

the trialmaster said...

OH, those were the days at the PD office on the 8th Floor. We got a lot more BRADY material from our time spent with the secretaries from the SAO than from the prosecutors. Of course a little chivas and an absence of clothes on the secretaries may have helped. I will never forget the twin court reporters of Greek ancestry performing for all.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Mr./Ms. 9:46 am:

Perhaps you don't remember Jeri Beth in County Court of any court other than drug court. She sucks the life out of everyone when she has power over them. She was miserable and rude to everyone. If you told her that you could try the case any day other than day X as that is the day your wife is having major surgery, that was exactly when she set it for trial. Being honest with her only made your life more miserable.

In trial, she gave you 10 minutes for lunch and told you to go get a hot dog at the street corner.

She asked lawyers to tell her every question you would ask a witness so that she could decide if it was a fair question. Yup. She did that.

Voir Dire: 60 minutes for her. 5 minuets for each side.

In drug court she just had more people to mess with. Good riddance to her!

Anonymous said...

The SAO Christmas party on the 6th floor was an eye opener. They had those funny windows way up high so you could stand on something and see what was going on in the offices next to you. I saw sex more than once at that party.

Janet just ignored it all. I liked Janet.

Rumpole said...

I sincerely apologize for the nature and tenor of the post. I used language that I deeply regret, especially the descriptions of members of the judiciary. I have long made sure that I do not post under the influence of adult beverages but last night got away from me and I made a mistake. It won't happen again.
HR