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.

Monday, July 26, 2021

A COVID UPDATE FROM THE CHIEF

 As the Delta Variant (motto: "Killing only the incredibly stupid") rips through our world, our nation, our city, and our own REGJB courtesy of ignorant Assistant State Attorneys who do not believe in vaccinations, many are wondering if there will be any changes in the opening of courthouses. 

We have the email from CJ Sayfie (posted below) , but the short answer is NO, there will not be any changes because COVID-DV only kills imbeciles and those who watch and believe Newsmax, ONAN, Fox News, and the 45th president of the United States. 

For a short term solution trust Rumpole to come up with a unique answer that solves all of our problems. 

Fact: Covid-DV infects and kills those who are unvaccinated, and thus those who do not have Bill Gates Microchips implanted in them.

Fact: Most but not all of the legal community and the judiciary are now vaccinated. 

Fact: We have two courthouses, one of which is about to collapse. 

SO.... reopen the Civil Court and rename it as Un-vaccinated Court. 

Those lawyers who believe the vaccine is a method to line the pockets of Dr. Fauci, or that the vaccine implants trackers monitored by Barrack Obama's Muslim controllers stationed in China and Africa, can go to 73 West Flagler street and practice all the law they want there. And if the freaking building collapses on them and kills them all, well at least they were headed for death anyway, either through Covid-DV, or something else,  because the life-span of the incredibly stupid cannot be that long. 

Meanwhile, those lawyers and judges who are vaccinated can practice law at the REGJB. By moving the 25-40% of morons in the REGJB who are not vaccinated to 73 West Flagler Street- let's call it "Covid-ain't-real Way"- the criminal courthouse will have plenty of room for Judge Hanzman and his legal hearings on the Surfside collapse. 

Judge Sayfie's email released on Sunday Evening:

Good evening, All. 

If you scroll below you will see the email I sent about COVID almost 3 weeks ago. Notwithstanding the daily reports of positive tests in our courthouses, and Miami’s positivity rate increasing back over 10%, the information in that email remains largely the same. 

Last week I had a meeting with all of the Chief Judges across the state. I also attended the biweekly meeting of our local task force which includes 3 infectious disease specialists from 3 different Miami hospitals. On Saturday I had a consultation with one of the doctors as well as with Chief Justice Canady.  

The good news continues to be that the vaccine is working, and working well. It is “highly protective” against the delta variant particularly against severe disease and death.  While there are breakthrough infections, they continue to be mild and the risk of transmission from a vaccinated person is believed to be low because the “viral load” is very low. I know that the breakthrough infections are disconcerting. But we must continue to listen to the experts. I will point out that the doctors have been accurate on everything covid related thus far.

Currently in Miami 95% of those hospitalized with covid are unvaccinated. The remaining 5% are transplant recipients or elderly who have compromised immune systems. 

Our doctors in Miami as well doctors world-wide are clear that this current covid wave is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. I urge those of you who work in our court system to please get vaccinated if you have not already. That is clearly the only path to an end of this pandemic. 

In the meantime, I urge you all to wear masks. Our doctors in Miami have been recommending this consistently but now it is crucial. Whether you are vaccinated or not, please wear a mask when you are inside are court facilities. We cannot tell who is vaccinated and who isn’t. So please, everyone wear a mask

All of our divisions have remote practices built into their daily procedures. Judges will each continue to have the discretion to conduct certain hearings remotely. Jury trials will remain live unless all of the parties agree otherwise. Please urge all jurors and trial participants to wear masks at all times. 

I cannot issue an Administrative Order requiring vaccinations and/or masks at this time. This latest spike in cases is entirely the result of people’s choices. As such the Florida Supreme Court is currently not approving any “roll backs” in our procedures. I have been assured that this will be revisited in the event the CDC or Florida Dept of Health changes its advisories. 

Thank you all for your continued patience and cooperation, as well as your hard work under difficult circumstances as we fulfill our duty to the people of Miami-Dade County. It is my greatest honor to serve with you all.  Thank you, Nushin

Nushin G. Sayfie, Chief Judge


Well said Judge Sayfie. Just one comment.  You write that procedures cannot be changed until the Fla Dept of Health changes its advisories. Here is the tiny problem with that. The Fla Dept of Health recently and reluctantly agreed that condoms might, just might help control the spread of AIDS. So considering that the Fla Dept of Health (motto: "All the data is not yet in on smoking")  is a bit behind the times, waiting for them to act is like expecting certain judges to actually start on time. (And in that regard, please see the email we have sent you about a certain county court judge who is angry because, and to quote her rant we saw the other day "I have a daughter and I cannot start my calendars until ten o'clock, okay?  Like I have to provide like child care...." It was embarrassing. And she knows who she is when she reads this. Enough said...for now.)

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zoom should be the norm for all non evidentiary matters! Period-end of story.

Anonymous said...

Israel, as Rumpole surely knows, was first-on-the-planet in widespread distribution of the vax and still is among the leaders in percentage of its adults fully vaxxed.

Here's the ominous news: Israelis' vaccination protection is waning. As everyone from Fauci to Tucker has acknowledged, there is a high likelihood that vax protection will be fleeting, especially as the virus mutates.

We will be seeing soon what they are seeing in Israel now -- fully vaxxed people getting sick and hospitalized.

The new focus needs to be on general health. Rumpole should treat the OBESE as disdainfully as he now treats the unvaxed. After all, the obese are making life decisions which put them at severe risk and will cost all of us when they are hospitalized and intubated for a month. The OBESE are basically choosing to be in the crosshairs of this virus.

So... will Rump mock them for their pro-death decisions? Hmmm.....

Anonymous said...

Little update from the Herald.

"COVID-19 cases in Miami courts cause dread as delta variant spreads across Florida"

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article252958488.html

Anonymous said...

For Miami, the civil trial was relatively routine: an insurance dispute over building damage caused by Hurricane Irma. It was also one of the first lengthy jury trials to be held in person as Miami-Dade courts began opening up after a long pandemic closure.

The trial ended in early July. But then, several lawyers and the judges who had taken part in the two-and-a-half week trial tested positive for COVID-19.

One of the attorneys, Brittany Quintana Martí, who is pregnant, fell ill enough that she spent five days in the hospital. “She had shortness of breath and fatigue. Really horrible fatigue. Her oxygen levels dropped,” said her husband, fellow Miami lawyer Jose Martí.

While Quintana was masked — she was waiting to get the vaccine because of her pregnancy — others were not. Her husband believes the coronavirus spread through numerous sidebars, the private meetings held between lawyers and the judge, away from jurors.

“That would make the most sense. That’s when everyone is as close as possible,” said Jose Martí, who added that he is upset because he believes the courts have not done enough to publicize outbreaks.

Nearly one month after Miami-Dade courts reopened to the public, Quintana’s story underscores that COVID-19 remains a risk within the justice system, especially as the delta variant of the highly contagious virus is causing a sharp rise in cases across Florida.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article252958488.html

Anonymous said...

While COVID gets worse, the judiciary fights Zoom hearings for procedural matters, which has worked just fine during the pandemic. If it is not a trial or evidentiary hearing, it should be on Zoom. For now, we have to do stupid things to avoid unnecessary court appearances. For example, a sounding must be in person, but a motion to continue can be heard on Zoom.

We read advisories each day about a new person in REG who has Covid and worked in multiple courtrooms. Due to privacy restrictions, the person is unnamed, leaving the rest of us to wonder if we had contact with the person (I am not suggesting the person should be named, only pointing out the result).

We hear lots of numbers regarding Covid, but I only care about a single number-the number two. That is how many close friends I have who were fully-vaccinated, but got Covid anyway and are now in the hospital, on a ventilator, struggling to stay alive.

My health and my life are more important than how many cases a judge carries and his/her ego. Until Covid is under control, I will not sit next to a prisoner for an any length of time in an unventilated, filthy, old building and try a case. I will search my imagination to find ways to avoid entering the justice building.

Judicial resistance to Zoom is about judge's fear that they will not be able to move their calendars and their caseloads will rise, making them look bad. I do not give a shit about judge's calendars. Pre-Covid, most talked a big game about trying cases, but few did. On any given afternoon, the hallways were as quiet as a mausoleum. It was all a big show to pressure people to plead guilty, and judges got the side benefit of feeling important.

Judges have no problems taking pleas by Zoom because that reduces their case stats. Why is a plea by Zoom just fine, but a sounding must be in person? Soundings are important to judges because they have the opportunity to pressure defendants to take a plea. Once a defendant has missed work a few times, driven to court, paid for parking, he says to hell with it and takes the plea.

Perhaps Judge Sayfie should go over to federal court and see the structural changes that were built into the trial courtrooms. They make a difference. Plastic barriers separate everyone. Few people are in attendance. Hearings are held one at a time. I know, they do not have the case numbers we have, but at least they have tried. The justice building looks exactly the same. What has the year-long "Working Group" done to improve our safety? It doesn't look like much. The only thing worked on was how to move the cases along, not how to mandate the use of technology to make us all safer. What an abject lack of leadership for the Chief Judge not to REQUIRE judges to hold all procedural hearings by Zoom.

In the meantime, I issue an open challenge to judges who will not allow the use of Zoom for routine matters. Write back, anonymously if you want, and explain why. Show me that I am wrong. Lawyers are fed up and angry. We know who you are. The next step is to publish names and humiliate you for your self-centeredness, arrogance and utter disregard for the well-being of the people who you work with on a daily basis.

Anonymous said...

In the UK 106 of the 203 most recent covid deaths were of the double vaccinated..in france between 40 and 60% of the new hospitalizations are vaccinated..within a month those type numbers will be here..and this whole thing about it's all fox news viewers refusing the vax?? Black Americans are by the far the most resistant to the vax of all the demographic groups..are those folks brainwashed by fox also?

Anonymous said...

This country has a lot of fatties but anti vaxers are still worse.

Anonymous said...

The stats posted by 6:25pm are misleading.

https://theconversation.com/most-covid-deaths-in-england-now-are-in-the-vaccinated-heres-why-that-shouldnt-alarm-you-163671


https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-data-shows-vaccines-reduce-risk-of-hospitalisation-and-death-but-you-need-to-read-it-with-a-clear-head-12365728


Hospitalisation figures show vaccine effectiveness

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Reports of vaccinated people ending up in hospital causes alarm.

On Monday, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance revealed that around 60% of hospitalisations were among people who are unvaccinated.

So that means for every 60 unvaccinated people hospitalised, about 40 who have been vaccinated are also ending up in hospital. Does that mean the vaccines are not working very well? Absolutely not.

That’s because for every 60 unvaccinated people, there are about 440 vaccinated adults in the population.

So that means the numbers of vaccinated people in hospital are at least 10 times lower than they would be if the vaccines did not work at all.

The 60:40 ratio therefore suggests the vaccines are a little over 90% effective at keeping people out of hospital.

But the news is even better than that. The figures are skewed by the fact the people who are most likely to be unvaccinated are the younger age groups - the ones least likely to end up in hospital.

If you factor that in the vaccines look to be well above 90% effective at keeping people out of hospital – bang in line with what all the research suggests.

Anonymous said...

541 you are so off on your numbers..in the UK about half the population is vaccinated ..u wrote that for every 60 unvaxxed there are 440 vaxxed..that's absurd and false..u all need to deal with the reality that the vax loses effectiveness after a couple months or so. And if I'm wrong then why are they already grooming the vaxxers for a booster? You know that's coming!

Anonymous said...

Forget the BS on Biles. The absolute truth is that she "chocked" at the biggest stage.