THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING .....
YOUR NEXT MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COURT JUDGE IS .....
ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER KEVIN HELLMANN
According to AI, the chance of getting struck by lightning in your lifetime is about 1 in 15,300. The chances of an Assistant Public Defender getting appointed to the bench by Ron DeSantis went up dramatically last night, (now 1 in 92), when the Governor chose APD Kevin Hellmann to fill the open seat created by the elevation of Judge Gamez.
Kevin Hellmann joins Ayana Harris (Miami-Dade CC 2019) and Barry Dickson (Escambia CC 2020) as the only assistant public defenders appointed to the bench by the Governor while still employed as PDs.
To understand the magnitude of this appointment, Gov. DeSantis has appointed 276 judges in five years and THREE were sitting PDs. By contrast, 87 sitting ASAs/ AUSAs/AAGs, were appointed to the bench in the same amount of time. That’s right 87 to 3.
Kevin Hellmann must be very special.
Hellmann went to Harvard undergrad followed by Brooklyn Law School and he joined the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office in 1996. He has dedicated his entire 28-year career there and is currently a Training Director in the office.
Overall, DeSantis has appointed 276 judges to the bench between January of 2019 and June of 2024. In that time, 175 of those 276 (63.4%) were employed as an ASA, AUSA, or AAG at some point in their careers. By contrast, 16 of the 276 (5.7%) were APDs or AFPDs at some point in their career.
Congratulations to Kevin as he persevered like few others have done through the JNC process. Kevin applied to the JNC 14 times and his name was on the shortlist to the Governor's office a total of 12 times since he began his quest for appointment.
This is a great loss for the Public Defender’s Office but a much bigger gain for the citizens of Miami-Dade County.
Congratulations, Your Honor.
As Kevin always likes to say in closing:
Public Defender Pride !!!
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
14 comments:
Brooklyn law school has the most judges in New York- just saying BLS rocks.
A happy grad
Kevin Hellmann will make an excellent addition to the bench. Great guy, wonderful temperament, and sharp as they come. Very experienced as well.
Without missing a beat
Judge Kevin Hellman = the Judge Michael Hanzman equal. A perfect replacement Judge.
I'm so very happy for Kevin. I'm glad he was persistent in his quest for this position. He has a great temperament, knowledgeable of the law and he understands the criminal politics of our humble building. Excited to see him in action. Congratulations!
Dogged persistence wins in the end. A great pick and addition to the bench.
👍
Woody Clermont
Just please don’t send him to civil.
Kevin is a smart and decent person. He will be fine in any job he does.
Can’t really go to criminal since he can’t preside over PD cases for a while.
Harvard then Brooklyn law ?
Pretty massive drop there
Excellent trial lawyers and judges have come from Brooklyn Law. Don’t be a snob
Kevin is going to be a fantastic judge. KFR went to Cambridge for her LLB, and look at the mess we are in. You can graduate from an Ivy League law school and be incompetent and unfit. Ask Mr. Dartmouth's undergrad; I meant Professor Abuhoff. Desantis is a double Ivy graduate (believe it or not, he went to Harvard for his JD). I wouldn't let these notable individuals represent me on a traffic ticket.
Went to Brooklyn Law. Clerked for a fed judge in the EDNY. Turned down a prestigious clerkship at the NY Court of appeals (ny state equivalent of Supreme Court which is what their trial court is called for some reason ) and instead came to Miami to work for Janet for a decade.
Went into private practice. Cannot tell you the number of obnoxious Harvard law grads who I have waxed in trial. I’ll take hard work and experience and street smarts over school smarts any day of the week.
Kevin has experience and common sense. More than I can say for most of the DeSantis drones who think their you know what doesn’t stink. He will be great. Well deserved for a life long public servant.
How is it determined and who makes determination of whether he goes to civil or criminal? Also, who determines and how is it determined if he goes to justice building, or civil courthouse, or branch court?
Congrats I love Mayonnaise
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