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.

Friday, July 30, 2021

HELLO HYBRID MY OLD FRIEND

Hello Hybrid , my old friend
I've come to  Zoom with you again

Because a vision of a judge softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping and my client was pleading 
And the vision that was planted in my brain (by the chip in the vaccine)
Still remains
Within the sound of silence (counsel you are on mute!)
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow courtrooms  of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and empty  courthouse 
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a black-robbed knight 
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence (counsel you are still on mute!)

WE ARE BACK TO HYBRID AS THE FOLLOWING EMAIL FROM JUDGE WOLFSON PROCLAIMS: 

Good afternoon,

 

I hope this email finds you safe and healthy. Effective immediately, in an effort to keep the volume of people at a minimum in the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building as well as to accommodate lawyers who practice in multiple divisions and courthouses, the Circuit Criminal Division will provide access to court both in person and via Zoom in a hybrid fashion for all daily calendars.

 

The following must take place in person unless the parties and the judge agree to proceed on Zoom and the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Florida Supreme Court’s Administrative Order allow: (1) evidentiary hearings; (2) bench and jury trials; and (3) most pleas. At the discretion of the division judge, all other matters may be conducted via Zoom at the preference of the parties.

 

Anyone who wishes to be in the courtroom on a laptop or device to see Zoom MUST have their device’s microphone and the Zoom audio muted at all times regardless of whether or not they are speaking. The courtroom microphones which are connected to Zoom will pick up the audio. If the device and/or Zoom audio on an individual device is on, this will result in echo and feedback.

 

Judges must be diligent about requiring people to speak into the courtroom microphones. In addition, judges must frequently check in with their court reporters to make sure the record is being captured at all times.

 

All operating courtrooms will continue to be staffed with at least one Assistant State Attorney and one Assistant Public Defender, in addition to the judge, clerks, bailiffs, probation officers and correctional officers. Inmates will be brought to court only for hearings, pleas, and trials. If an inmate was not transported to court but wishes to accept a plea that will result in them getting out of custody, Corrections will bring them on Zoom on a staggered basis. If there is a surplus of inmate Zoom hearings on any one particular day, Judges Wolfson, de la O, and Tinkler Mendez will make themselves available to handle them.

 

In closing, please stay safe and keep the lines of communication open. Thank you so very much for all you do for this community.

 

Best regards,

 

Andrea Ricker Wolfson,

Administrative Judge, Circuit Criminal Division

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anti-zoomer judges are afraid they will got get adequate campaign contributions because they are not seeing lawyers in person kiss ass (both ways).

Anonymous said...

7:51 Bingo

Anonymous said...

The opposite will happen. I will not vote for or financially support a Judge who resists Zoom or is difficult about it. It is a matter of life and death to me. I have a long memory and a big mouth.

Anonymous said...

"Check with their court reporters" that's a joke. They have someone that hits a record button. How dare them be classified as a court reporter. Next time address them appropriately, "a court recorder." Just FYI they will NEVER be equal to a court reporter/stenographer. Thank you

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...


The Captain Reports:

COVID-19 ADVISORY #95

SELF-MONITORING NOTICE

Eight individuals who worked in the locations and on the dates listed below have tested positive for COVID-19.

Persons identified as having been in close proximity to the confirmed individuals are being notified and will be asked to take all necessary precautions.

Individual #1:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 3-1 on 7/14-15/2021, 7/19-21/2021, 7/23/2021, 7/26-27/2021
Courtroom 7-3 on 7/16/2021

Last date worked: 7/27/2021



Individual #2:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 7-4 on 7/27/2021

Last date worked: 7/27/2021


Individual #3:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 6-2 on 7/26-28/2021

Last date worked: 7/28/2021



Individual #4:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 6-1 on 7/15-16/2021 and 7/26/2021

Last date worked: 7/26/2021



Individual #5:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 3-1 on 7/23/2021 and 7/28/2021

Last date worked: 7/26/2021



Individual #6:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 6-4 on 7/26/2021

Last date worked: 7/26/2021



Individual #7:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 2-5 on 7/20/2021 and 7/26-28/2021
Courtroom 4-3 on 7/20/2021

Last date worked: 7/28/2021



Individual #8:
Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
Courtroom 2-3
Courtroom 4-3
Room 209
Room 423
Room 424

Last date worked: 7/23/2021

Cap Out …….

Anonymous said...

Clever and witty as ever…

Anonymous said...

Love Wolfson.

Anonymous said...

BS. You guys are just lazy and couch your opposition to returning to court in person as "unsafe". It's certainly more convenient for you "learned legal scholars" to appear via zoom because you don't have to get off your fat asses and still bill the same. Is there a discount for Zoom appearances? Where does it say that you have to be safer than the general public? Boo hoo, cry me a river...

Anonymous said...

I wanna zoom zoom zoom with you. New single gone viral. Unnamed artist.

Anonymous said...

"It's certainly more convenient for you "learned legal scholars" to appear via zoom because you don't have to get off your fat asses and still bill the same. Is there a discount for Zoom appearances?"

ZOOM and remote proceedings are more convenient for the client too. Lawyers usually charge for their travel and preparation time. When you cut out the need to drive to the courthouse, find a space in the parking garage, pay for parking, wait for the elevator, wait in the courtroom, then having to drive back, that's way fewer hours and expenses charged to the client. Considering what downtown South Florida traffic is like, even driving to the courthouse within your own county can be a struggle, especially for lawyers who don't have office space within the courthouse vicinity. Even lawyers who do have downtown offices close to the courthouse can end up wasting half an hour or more navigating dense traffic and finding a parking space, or waiting for their building shuttle if they have one. In Broward, the drawbridges to the courthouse go up so frequently, it can take you 45 minutes just to get to the courthouse even if you're already downtown. And if ever a lawyer has to travel out of his home county, like from Miami-Dade to Broward or Broward to Palm Beach or vice versa, and has to get on 95 or the Turnpike, that turns a simple morning motion calendar hearing into a 3 hour ordeal at least. Way less efficient and way more expensive for the client.