THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM FOR OUR ADDENDUM REGARDING THE 3RD DCA.
SO, YOU WANT TO BE A CIRCUIT/COUNTY COURT JUDGE .....
The Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida is entering a busy stretch following the expansion of the bench in Miami-Dade County.
In 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 2508 into law, creating four additional County Court seats and three additional Circuit Court seats. Last year, the Governor filled two of the County Court seats and one Circuit Court seat. The JNC is now tasked with interviewing applicants for the remaining two County Court and two Circuit Court vacancies.
THE APPLICANT POOL .....
The JNC received 32 applications, divided as follows:
10 applicants for County Court only
11 applicants for both County and Circuit Court
11 applicants for Circuit Court only
The Commission will conduct interviews on March 13 and may nominate up to 12 candidates for County Court and 12 for Circuit Court.
A NOTABLE APPLICANT: ASA Shawn Abuhoff .....
One name that immediately stands out is Assistant State Attorney Shawn Abuhoff (and not because he is listed first). Abuhoff has applied for a seat on the County Court.
Many in the legal community will recall the high-profile disputes in 2024 and 2025 between the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and members of the criminal defense bar. Abuhoff was at the center of one such controversy in the case of State v. Pratt.
In that case, the defendant was charged with second-degree murder and represented by Assistant Public Defenders Natalie Ender and Lauren Dawson. During the proceedings, the Public Defender’s Office filed a motion seeking Abuhoff’s removal, alleging that he attempted to intimidate a key witness. Specifically, Ender claimed that Abuhoff and a police officer appeared near the home of witness Bridet Lampley and banged on the window of a car in which she was seated.
The presiding judge, Judge Wolfson, denied the motion.
Shortly thereafter, Abuhoff filed a motion seeking to disqualify Ender and Dawson, Abuhoff wrote in his complaint as to Ender and Dawson that “Their actions of tampering with a witness have made them witnesses themselves and created conflicts that this court can not ignore,” His office also publicly announced that both attorneys were under criminal investigation and that it was “in the process” of determining whether charges would be filed.*
Judge Wolfson denied that motion as well.
*No charges were ever filed against either Ender or Dawson.
FACDL-MIAMI ENTERS THE FRAY .....
The dispute drew the attention of the local chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL-Miami), which alleged a broader pattern of prosecutorial misconduct.
FACDL cited several incidents, including the removal of ASA Michael Von Zamft from the case of State v. Corey Smith by Judge Wolfson. The organization also publicly commented on actions taken by the State Attorney’s Office in the murder prosecution of OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney and the related charges against her parents.
Regarding the Ender and Dawson matter, FACDL’s Board of Directors issued a statement asserting that the State Attorney’s Office “continues to engage in a pattern of unethical misconduct” in cases where defense attorneys have “done nothing more than uphold their constitutional obligation and duty to defend their client.” The Board further criticized what it described as the unjustified public accusation of criminal conduct against defense counsel and their investigator.
The Miami Herald covered it in July of 2024 in two stories you can read here and here.
Here is a list of the 32 applicants:
COUNTY COURT ONLY
Yaneth Baez
Johanna Benedi
Madelin D’Arce**
Kimberly Hillery
Yvette Lavelle
Gustavo Losa
Marlin Muller
Jeffrey Pierce
Patricia Salman
COUNTY & CIRCUIT COURT
Yenly Dominguez
Christian Dunham
Aaron Feuer
Scott Janowitz
Jose Martinez
Andrew McGinley
Michelle Roth
Monica Segura
Alexander Shear
Annette Strauch
CIRCUIT COURT ONLY
(All are County Court Judges except for Mrs. Alvarez)
Rita Cuervo
Miesha Darrough
Elisabeth Espinosa
Christopher Green
Chiaka Ihekwaba
Alicia Garcia Priovolos
Jorge Perez Santiago
Stephanie Silver
Eleane Sosa-Bruzon
Michelle Urbistondo
**Destiny Goede Alvarez has been a member of The Florida Bar for five years (the minimum necessary to qualify to be a judge). She has two degrees from the University of Florida, she was President of Florida Blue Key, and she was inducted into their Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Federalist Society.
She was an Intern for Federal Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone; spent a year working in the DeSantis Administration for the Department of Transportation; was an Associate at Gray Robinson for two years (is there any law firm more connected to the DeSantis Administration?!); and she is currently is a Partner at Goede, DeBoest, & Cross (the Goede is John Goede - her father we surmise)
Another interesting note: Attorney Madelin D’Arce, who applied for County Court, is also a Partner at Goede, DeBoest, & Cross.
THIRD DCA JNC
The 3rd DCA JNC has announced that they will be conducting interviews of seven applicants to replace Judge Kevin Emas, who is retiring from the bench on March 31. The applicants are:
Jeffrey DeSousa
Judge Javier Enriquez
Judge Spencer Multack***
Judge Joseph Perkins
Judge Thomas Rebull
Thomas Ward
Judge Robert Watson
Interviews will take place on March 17, and the JNC will nominate up to six of the seven applicants to the Governor's office.
***Judge Multack could have an uphill battle to get the call from Gov. DeSantis. Multack sits in Family Court and, until last week, sat over a paternity case between Arlene Delgado and Jason Miller. The case has already gone through nine judges, and, at one point in the litigation, Delgado moved to recuse Multack from the case, arguing that he was biased for Miller. But recently, Miller decided he didn't like Multack either.
Miller, according to a post from Above The Law, was all set to be the White House communications director for the first Trump administration when news circulated that he’d had an affair with fellow campaign staffer, Arlene “AJ” Delgado. Delgado has a 7-year-old son that she contends belongs to Miller.
Last week, Miller went onto X (formerly Twitter) and tweeted (is that still a word),
"I am actively opposing Florida Judge Spencer Multack's application to get a promotion to Florida's Third District Court of Appeal, and I will be activating EVERYONE I know and EVERY resource I have to stop his bid".
Multack recused himself four hours later. You can read the story from Above The Law here. Florida Bulldog covered it here.
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
How did that FACDL binder of complaints play out?
ReplyDeleteDid they ever file anything on Shawn? I remember the witch hunt email they sent for both him and Khalil, and the one against Khalil blew up in their face with the bar finding no PC
DeleteNasty
DeleteWhat Natalie Ender and Lauren Dawson did in that case crosses the line from zealous advocacy to unethical harassment of opposing counsel. Filing a motion to DQ an ASA because they went to talk with an uncooperative witness whom the PDs thought had favorable testimony for their client is a frivolous and dangerous litigation tactic. In an ordered system of justice, no litigator should be allowed to move to DQ their adversary on baseless grounds in an attempt to gain a tactical advantage. Rumpole, you and your commenters’ slander of Abuhoff on this blog is not only unfair, but it’s downright malicious. He is an upstanding attorney and prosecutor who has tirelessly dedicated himself to public service for the last 10 years. Your commenters’ smears against him are without proof, merit, and substance. He would be a fantastic County Court Judge if the people of Miami Dade County are lucky enough to have DeSantis appoint him.
ReplyDeleteSomeone is going to get shumied because of this. Re Abuhoff
ReplyDeletethe axiom that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and a minute to lose it comes to mind.
Is the LOP / FACDL spring mixer still on?
ReplyDeleteWhy are you slandering Professor Abuhoff? He’s a standup guy and would make a great Judge.
ReplyDeleteYou don’t really think Gray Robinson is the most connected firm to DeSantis do you?
ReplyDeleteTo 1:14 pm. It looks like the Captain is right about Gray Robinson. They were paid $5.2 million in just his first term. Only one other firm was paid more. Cooper and Kirk received $5.9m.
ReplyDeleteMy assumption is there is a Federalist Society majority in Miami.
ReplyDeleteIm confident the federalist society will pick all four judges. Rumor has it you have to wear a red MAGA hat to the interview or you are toast.
ReplyDeleteAre you struggling with alcohol, opiates, prescription drug addiction? Being a lawyer takes a lot out of you. Do you leave the office or courtroom and head straight for the bar? There is help at Seaside Wellness. You are not alone. I too was a young lawyer back in my day. With the help of my friends and Christ I got help.
ReplyDeleteThe Captain Reports:
ReplyDeleteI added an extra subject to my post last night. If you scrolled down, you read about the 3rd DCA JNC.
Attorney Jeffrey DeSousa is one of the seven applicants who will be interviewed by the JNC.
DeSousa is 37 years old and a graduate of Georgetown Law School. He spent the first 6 years of his career working as an appellate attorney in the Miami-Dade PD's office. He has spent the past six years working for the AG's Office, and he is currently its Solicitor General. He has argued more than 70 times before appellate courts, including 18 times before the Florida Supreme Court.
The only other applicant who does not sit on the bench is attorney Thomas Ward. Ward graduated from UM Law, and he has been an attorney for 19 years. He spent the first 15 years of his career at Rennert Vogel Mandler and Rodriguez, handling appeals. He then moved to Heise Suarez Melville in 2022 and heads their Appellate Department. He is a member of the Federalist Society.
CAP OUT .......