Tuesday, July 27, 2021

STATE ATTORNEYS OFFICE COVID CRISIS

 The Dade County State Attorneys Office is in Covid19- Delta Variant freefall. 

How many employees are sick?  Like the Florida weather, wait a minute, and it will change. The count is above the number of fingers you have. 

8,9,10- the emails from a State Attorney Human Resources official come flooding in, minute by minute, announcing the positive test of another employee and listing  the courtrooms the employee was at:

"We are announcing the positive result of four employees, who went to courtrooms 4-1 (hugged two PDS), 3-4- (high fived a clerk), 2-3 (kissed a court reporter hello on the cheek). Three employees in the family court building attended a "what delta variant party?" without masks and played Twister. All are now sick."  And on and on the emails come. 

On Monday Herald Super Reporter @DavidOvalle305  tweeted about an SAO email announcing more positive employees and then a minute later updated the tweet with another email from the SAO announcing that another employee is sick. 

We take a moment to pause and reflect on the fact  that the State Attorneys Office has a "human resources division". Back in the day, when an ASA was in trouble they got called into Janet Reno's office. And depending on the nature of the issue, either chief investigator Ray Havens was sitting next to her (BIG TROUBLE), or one of her chief assistants like George Yoss, Lenny Glick, Kathy Rundle, or Shay Blichick.  The ASA got yelled at, and if Chief Havens did not read the ASA his/her rights,  they slunk out  of Reno's office and back to their  desk at a cubicle on the sixth floor and resumed their  duties and took out their  anger by raising all their plea offers to the PDS for the rest of the week. 

Ovalle wrote an article in the Herald here, detailing how covid is ripping through the legal system including a harrowing tale of former REGJB lawyer Todd Michaels-fully vaccinated-  trying a civil case without a mask and getting sick. Very sick.  An anonymous judge was quoted as saying potential jurors not wearing masks, who are coughing, decline a mask when the judge offers them one. The Judge said he/she is powerless to force them to wear a mask or ask if they are vaccinated. 

Not wait just a cotton picking moment. 

A judge can start their calendar at nine or ten, A judge can require male lawyers in the middle of 95 degree weather in August with 5555% humidity to wear a jacket and a tie; a judge can require gentlemen to remove their hats when in the courtroom, a judge can require that everyone stand for goodness sakes when they glide on to the bench, majestically clad in black, but a judge cannot require someone in their courtroom to wear a freaking mask? 

You  have got to be kidding us. 

7 comments:

  1. I had a little 69 action in court room 3-5 this week. Do ya think I’m vulnerable to something?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I refuse to wear a mask in court let alone during the 69 or dog style positioning.

      Delete
  2. Rumpole left out the part about Todd Michaels being fully "vaccinated". So mask up and u still get sick...vaccine up and u still get sick...maybe let's avoid indoor gatherings instead and lose some lbs..I'll be playing sports outside all week getting lots of exercise and building up vitamin d..good luck to the fat ass vaccinated mask wearers and your indoor pursuits.

    ReplyDelete

  3. THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

    COVID-19 ADVISORY #93

    SELF-MONITORING NOTICE

    Four 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 6-6 on 7/21/2021

    Last date worked: 7/21/2021


    Individual #2:
    Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
    Courtroom 3-1 on 7/22/2021
    Room 318 on 7/22/2021

    Last date worked: 7/22/2021


    Individual #3:
    Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, 1351 NW 12 St.:
    Courtroom 2-3 on July 21, 2021
    Courtroom 3-1 on July 12-16, 2021 and July 19-22, 2021
    Courtroom 7-3 on July 12, 2021
    Courtroom 7-4 on July 21, 2021

    Last date worked: 7/22/2021


    Individual #4:
    Miami-Dade Children’s Courthouse, 155 NE 3 St.:
    Courtroom 2-1 on 7/13-14/2021
    Courtroom 11-4 on 7/14-16/2021 and 7/19-23/2021

    Last date worked: 7/23/2021

    Cap Out …..

    ReplyDelete
  4. What lie is that that a judge is powerless to require a mask? Masks are dress code. If the judge can require shirt and shoes (not to mention a tightly wound knot around your neck called a "tie"), a judge can require a mask.

    ReplyDelete

  5. THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

    ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 21-11 A1 REINSTATES MASK REQUIREMENT
    AT ALL MIAMI-DADE COURTHOUSES

    Following a Miami-Dade County mandate issued today requiring the wearing of masks in all County-owned properties, the Honorable Nushin G. Sayfie, Chief Judge of the Miami-Dade Courts, has reinstated mask requirements at all Miami-Dade courthouses.

    Under Administrative Order (AO) 21-11 A1, amending AO 21-11, all judges, court staff and visitors to any Miami-Dade courthouse must wear a mask at all times while inside the courthouse. Security staff will provide masks to those who do not have one. Masks must be worn in order to enter any Miami-Dade courthouse.

    “The science shows that vaccinations and mask-wearing are the best defenses against the spread of COVID-19, and we have been encouraging this for some time now,” Chief Judge Sayfie said. “In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases in Miami-Dade, now at more than 10%, the mask mandate makes sense and is fully in line with our goal to keep all who visit the courts as safe as possible.”

    Existing Division Operation Plans listed as Appendices A-J in AO 21-11, outlining which court proceedings will be held live and which on Zoom, may be further modified via Administrative Memorandum issued by each division’s Administrative Judge. Any Administrative Memos will be posted on the Miami-Dade Courts’ website on the appropriate division pages and on the COVID-19 information page.

    Cap Out …….

    ReplyDelete
  6. How can a reporter who writes nothing but puff pieces be considered “super”?

    ReplyDelete