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.

Thursday, February 09, 2023

JUDGES ARE PEOPLE TOO

 Not recently, but in the past, we recall Miami Judges voluntarily leaving the bench for career purposes. It is a rare occurrence in Miami. The last District Court federal judge that we can recall leaving the bench voluntarily (who was NOT on senior status like Judge Ungaro) was Judge Tom Scott, a legendary and prodigious hard worker.  Janet Reno, no slouch in the hard working department (she was known to bring a sleeping bag to work on Fridays and sleep in the REGJB) once told us that the hardest working judge she ever saw was Tom Scott, who longtime denizens of the REGJB will recall was also a Circuit Court Judge- and, under the truth is stranger than fiction category, did a little state court appointed death penalty defense work in the interregnum between leaving Circuit court  and before his  District court appointment. He also brought his dog to chambers, but that's another story. 

Which brings us to the center of the legal universe: The SDNY. 

I was at the point where I had children who were approaching college, with a husband becoming an ex-husband who was just getting his feet on the ground at a law firm so he had not yet started to earn Big Law money. I frankly did not believe I could continue to perform as a judge because of the money.

Katherine Forrest who left the bench of the prestigious Southern District of New York, quoted in an interview given to the National Law Journal (Motto: "We read Rumpole, we just don't admit it"). Forrest had served as a judge for seven years before she joined Cravath in 2018. She recently made a lateral partner move to Paul Weiss.

Hat-tip Above the Law. 

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good news / bad news. The coveted invites for the Saturday night pre party Shumie -Bowl went out. An email list of over 35,000 names and just 375 people got invites for $999.95 for a ticket and Plus one entitling the holder to a gourmet buffet and open top shelf bar not to mention a bevy of scantily clad beauties and a room full of celebrity A-listers like Ralph Macchio, George Santos, Pete Davidson and Eddie Murphy.

Anonymous said...

Judge Thomas Scott took the bench in 1979 at the age of 31. At the time he was the youngest ever Circuit Court Judge. During his first year on the bench he was the Judge on one of the most high profile cases in Dade County history at the time. Dade County Schools Superintendent Johnny Jones was being tried for grand theft. The case was dubbed the “Gold Plumbing” case because Jones was accused of purchasing gold platted plumbing fixtures for a vacation home he was building in Naples. The cost of the gold plated plumbing was $8934. Jones allegedly paid for the fixtures with School Board funds.

In January of 1983 I joined the Dade County Public Defender’s Office as a Certified Legal Intern. I was immediately assigned to the trial team of Edith Georgi, Maxine Cohen (Lando), and Gary Nunes. That team was assigned to Judge Scott’s courtroom. Thus began my journey as a criminal defense attorney before the youngest judge in the State. Almost daily I could be found in Judge Scott’s chambers along with his German Shepard at 8 AM, an hour before the Calendar started. Scott was the hardest working judge in the building. He got there before any else. He taught me so much. He along with my Superman and Superwomen trial team of Edith, Maxine, and Gary, we were trying cases regularly before Judge Scott. When arguing a Motion before Judge Scott, one could expect that, no matter how many cases you cited in support of your Motion, Judge Scott always had one more to ask you about.

In 1983, I tried nine jury trials as a CLI before ever being sworn in as an attorney. I was lucky enough to spend one year as a CLI. Judge Scott swore me in on May 30, 1984.

RICK FREEDMAN

JC said...

… I have known Rick Freedman since law school at UF. He was a top student there and he was respected and loved by all, including our professors. I am beyond proud of not only his incredible legal career, but how he has always been committed to helping the less fortunate through the Kiwanis Club and other efforts. Rick, you have made the world a better place because you care, are kind and a talented trial lawyer.

Anonymous said...

I got mine !! Shumie bowl tickets issued last night on the Ren app!! It turned green just like they said it would at midnight if you got a ticket. 12 - 100 inch 5k televisions. Lavish buffet. Open top shelf bar - shots of blue label anyone ? Hook me up baby ! Not gonna eat today or drink tonight. Tomorrow is going to be epic Fly Eagles 🦅 Fly!!!

Anonymous said...

Jeeze my freaking app started glowing red this morning and sending me sad faces and messages like better luck next year and there’s always the Cinco de Shumie party. Now I know why. I didn’t get in.

Anonymous said...

Rump my girlfriend and I just had a rip-roaring argument over whether JFK had Addison’s disease and if so when and where was it diagnosed. I told her that it was discovered during a trip to London by British doctors. She says if he had it then his father paid for the best US doctors and surely they discovered it. Help please.

Rumpole said...

Kennedy had two major maladies that very much affected his life. The first was a constant nausea along with no appetite inability to gain weight and pallid color and crippling stomach pains. The second was a very bad back.
After dozens of doctors missed it , doctors in London nailed the diagnosis of adrenal deficiency-Addison’s disease. As his life long friend Lem Billings remarked , the advent of the use of corticosteroids and cortisone changed and saved JFKs life right when he began to run for the presidency in 1958. While his back still hurt him , he gained and held weight and had renewed energy and his color was a nice tan.

For more on this I actually recommend the last johnson book Caro has published - The passage of power - the Kennedy chapter is extraordinary as well as the comparisons of young LBJ and JFK in their early campaigns both campaigning until they dropped from exhaustion and had to be hospitalized. These two men from vastly different backgrounds shared one overriding desire. Amazing stuff. Hope this helps. Life’s too short to fight about silly stuff.

the trialmaster said...

It is not surprising that there is no market in the private sector for a judge stepping down from the bench. The reason is obviously a lack of talent, otherwise, they would not need to feed off the public teat.( not applicable to Hanzman and few others). When I first started out if a circuit judge left for a job in private practice there was a big demand for his services.

Anonymous said...

I agree on Rick, he was always great and very kind to me when I started out. He is a really, really good guy and great lawyer. I am glad to be able to write something about such a good dude while he is alive. I hope he sees this and it makes him feel a little better today.

Anonymous said...

Rump, these pretzels are making me THIRSTY!!!!

Anonymous said...

I had an issue. I returned a rental car that my friend damaged. They told me the insurance didn’t cover the car when someone else drove. I said I didn’t know that. They told me it was in the rental contract. I told them “have you ever tried to read the rental contract ? It’s like the size of the Declaration of Independence!! “ they were not amused. Now what do I do ?

Anonymous said...

So let me get this straight. If my Ren app glows green I got an invite to the Shumie bowl tomorrow. If it glows blue I got an invite to the Shumie bowl pre party tonight. If it glows orange I got an invite to the Shumie bowl after party starting around 11pm. And if it glows golden I got an open invite to every Shumie bowl event. And if it’s red I’m SOL right ?