KOLOKOFF LEADS THE WAY

 It is rumored that every  new judge received a speech from the prior chief judge and in that speech this humble blog was referenced more than once, often in ominous tones. Of course no judge wants to be in the blog denying new mothers a chance to breastfeed, or issuing bench warrants for people who are a few minutes late, or dancing drunk on bar-tops in South Beach. But not every mention in the blog is a bad one. The blog is not something good judges need to fear. "Seasons don't fear the reaper, nor do the wind or the sun or the rain. We can be like they are...." A little Blue Oyster Cult to end the week is not a bad thing. 

Enter County Court Judge Jeffrey Kolokoff, an individual we could not pick out of a photo line up, having never seen him and having no familiarity with his pre-judicial career. It appears to be true that the older you get, the more judges you do not know. 

Judge Kolokoff is assigned to jail division, county court. There are no small roles, only small actors. There are no bad court assignments, only bad judges. While Misdemeanor Jail division has a lot of poor and troubled clients, they are perhaps in need of the very best of judges, prosecutors, and PDs to help the downtrodden and incarcerated. 

There has been a disappointing pushback from the judiciary about the continued use of Zoom. "The Supreme Court hasn't authorized it"; "It's too complicated to do calendars with Zoom and in person hearings";  "I never liked Zoom". The excuses are as long as a line for an open bar at a judicial conference. 

Enter Judge Kolokoff, who apparently has the Beatles Philosophy of issues: There are no problems, only solutions. As the below email indicates, Judge K will be open for business in person next week AND will allow attorneys to appear by Zoom. Imagine that. 

Well done Judge K. Well done indeed. 

Good Afternoon Everyone:

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that many things can be done in ways we previously thought were impossible.  Zoom is an incredible useful tool that allows us to work from anywhere.  The pandemic also taught us that virtual court is not a substitute for in person proceedings, especially for in custody individuals.

 

Accordingly, I’m pleased to announce that the misdemeanor jail division will reopen for in person proceedings on July 12, 2021.

 

We will continue to use the Zoom virtual courtroom as a convenience for out of custody individuals, family members, and out of division/private attorneys. Unfortunately, a true hybrid system is not available at this time.   

 

I'm going to open the virtual courtroom at 900 and will call out of division and private attorneys on zoom starting at 930.  In early September it will be 830 and 900.  I only ask that your members put their client's name and case number in the chat to everyone so that the files can be pulled.  

 

I look forward to seeing you in Courtroom 6-7 soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey M. Kolokoff

Miami-Dade County Court Judge