CHARACTER

 This was a time when character counted.

 Case in point- George Herbert Walker Bush, born into a wealthy family, he enrolled in the Navy right after the attack on Pearl Harbor and turning eighteen- skipping college. He became the youngest fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater. He did not dodge service by (falsely) claiming bone spurs like the current president. 

Today September 2, 1944, piloting a torpedo bomber and attacking radio towers on the Japanese held island of Chi Chi Jima, Lieutenant Bush's plane- second in the attack on a facility heavily defended with anti-aircraft guns, was hit. Bush continued the attack, released his weapons and turned the plane out to sea. He yelled "hit the silk" to his two crewmembers. Neither survived. Bush was rescued by the Submarine USS Finback and his first words were "happy to be aboard." He spent a month on the sub as it continued its patrol. 

Reflecting on his experience decades later, Bush simply stated that there was not a day that went by that he didn't think of his friends and crewmembers who did not make it. 

But this was a man cut from a different cloth, and from a time when character counted. 

Before the world ever heard of him, George Herbert Walker Bush was a hero and a great American. 

 

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A JUDGE .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

FOUR NEW JUDGES COMING TO A COURTROOM NEAR YOU …

It’s been a busy time for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC).

There are currently four judicial vacancies in Miami-Dade County—one on the Circuit Court and three on the County Court.

CIRCUIT COURT

The Circuit Court vacancy was created by the elevation of Judge Thomas Rebull to the Third District Court of Appeal.

Governor DeSantis will select his replacement from the following six nominees:

Hon. Rita Cuervo

Hon. Jennifer Trautman Levin

Hon. Stephanie Silver

Hon. Miesha Darrough

Hon. Natalie Moore

Hon. Eleane Sosa-Bruzon

For those of you who emailed Captain Justice asking who didn't make the final cut, that list includes:

Hon. Michelle Urbistondo

Hon. Luis Perez-Medina (although he did make the County Court list of nominees)

Hon. Chiaka Ihekwaba

Several attorneys who are not currently on the bench also applied but did not make the final list.

Interesting tidbit: All six nominees are women.

The JNC considered a total of six male applicants. None made the final list submitted to the Governor.

COUNTY COURT

There are three County Court vacancies, created by the elevations of Judges Cristina Correa, Elizabeth Espinosa Marin, and Jorge Perez Santiago to the Circuit Court.

The Governor will choose their three replacements from the following 18 nominees:

Shawn Abuhoff — ASA

Natalia Costea — General Counsel’s Office, Eleventh Judicial Circuit; former AAG

Aaron Feuer — Private civil practice; former ASA

Eddie Holiday — Private insurance defense practice; former ASA

Melissa Jordan — Private insurance defense practice; former ADA

Anthony Maneiro — City of Miami Beach Prosecutor; former ASA

Juan Perez — Too many lawyers by that name for Captain Justice to figure out which one

Jeffrey Pierce — AUSA

Alexander Shear — APD

Alexander Annunziato — Private insurance defense practice; former APD

Christian Dunham — AFPD

Kimberly Hillery — Department of Homeland Security

Scott Janowitz — General Magistrate; former ASA

Yvette Lavelle — Private civil defense practice

Cristobal Padron — Private family law practice

Hon. Luis Perez-Medina — Current County Court Judge; former ASA*

Patricia Salman — CABA Pro Bono Legal Services; former AAG

Annette Strauch — Captain Justice could not locate anyone by this name in The Florida Bar directory

Interesting tidbit: Of the 18 nominees, 13 have current or prior experience as a state prosecutor or Assistant Attorney General, while only three have experience as state criminal defense attorneys.

And then there is the interesting case of Judge Luis Perez-Medina.

* JUDGE LUIS PEREZ-MEDINA

Judge Perez-Medina currently sits on the County Court bench. Before becoming a judge, he spent 13 years as an Assistant State Attorney. Governor Rick Scott appointed him to the County Court in 2018, and he ran unopposed in 2020.

In 2026, however, Perez-Medina faced challenger Maribel Diaz in his reelection campaign.

He lost by just 565 votes:

Maribel Diaz — 110,589

Luis Perez-Medina — 110,024

Now, just weeks after losing his reelection bid, Judge Perez-Medina finds himself among the 18 nominees for one of the three newly vacant County Court seats.

If Governor DeSantis appoints him to one of those vacancies, Perez-Medina would presumably resign from the County Court seat he currently occupies through January 5, 2027, and accept a new appointment to the very same court.

Only in judicial politics.

The Governor has 60 days under the Florida Constitution to make these appointments. Based upon the date the nominations were submitted, that would make the deadline October 27, 2026.

And, as our loyal readers know, the words “constitutionally required” have occasionally proven to be more of a suggestion than a deadline in Tallahassee.

We’ll be watching.

CAPTAIN OUT …
Captain4Justice@gmail.com