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 Heloiza 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 

NFL 2026

 Eleven people have this evening circled on their calendar. The REGJB Fantasy Football draft is tonight, and eleven REGJB irregulars are plotting how to stop the FF freight train championship stacker that is your humble blogger. 

So what are our NFL predictions this year? How can you take a few extra hard-earned bucks from your second year PD salary and turn it into a wild night out at your fav upscale Hialeah steakhouse cum plumbing supply store? Continue reading...

All you have to remember about this NFL season is the letter B. 

First the worst. You do not have too look far. It's not that HARD...no need to poke under a ROCK to find the STADIUM the worst team in the NFL will be playing in. Sadly, it is your Miami Dolphins. Put it this way, their best chance for a single, solitary win this season is week one. If they lose to the Raiders in Vegas, the next time your Dolphins may post a W could be in pre-season August 2027. It is going to be a long and lonely season in Davie. Tix will be cheap.

Now to the best. Our surprise pick to make the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills (B)  is... steady now...The Cincinnati Bengals!  (B) The Who Deys have quietly rebuilt a defense and if, and this is a big IF, they can keep QB Joe Burrow healthy, the Bengals are headed to the Super Bowl against...

The Bullies of the NFC- the LA Rams. 

AFC East.  Bills, Cheaters, Jets, Fins. Keep an eye on the J...E...T...S... Jets Jets Jets.  Yes we know every year we get excited about the Jets in pre-season and every year they disappoint.  But this year is different. Wait, hear us out. The Jets brought in Frank Reich to re-tool the offense. Reich is an offensive guru and the Jets will surprise. Their first-round draft pick David Bailey has looked like the real deal since his first snaps in practice. The dude can rush the QB. The Jets are a balanced team and may well edge out the fraudulent cheaters who backed into a SB last year for second place, and will not...repeat...will not repeat. 

AFC North. Bengals, Ravens. Steelers, Browns.  Bengals run the table here. Ravens and Steelers both have new coaches and are re-tooling. Ravens get the nod for second because they are set at QB. Browns have started more QBs in the last decade than Italy has had Prime Ministers. They cannot get out of their own way. Browns and Dolphins race to the bottom for the #1 pick next year when, we confidently predict, the Browns will draft a QB who will do nothing. Who remembers the first QB the Browns drafted last year? Hint- it was not Sanders and no one has heard anything about him this pre-season. 

AFC South. Jax, Colts, Texans, Titans.  Yawn. This division bores us, other than Jax QB Trevor Lawrence who, along with his counterpart for the Texans is in a make-or-break year. 

AFC West. Now this is a division worth watching! Broncos, (B)  KC, Chargers, Raiders. Denver is for real. KC will be back. And Chargers QB Justin Herbert is becoming another Chargers QB bust. Can you say Phillip Rivers? Did everything but win playoff games.  When will Mendoza start is Las Vegas? First game in October. 

NFC East. These teams will all be bunched around 10-7 or 9-8. Eagles get the nod. Cowboys over the Commanders with the now respectable Giants poised to slip into the third spot over whatever team gets the injury bug. 

NFC North.  Lions and Bears (B) slug is out with Rumpole's first pick in tonight's NFL draft Jahmyr Gibbs carrying the Lions (and Rumpole) to the divisional title. Interesting battle between the Pack and the Vikes with Green Bay holding off Minny. 

NFC South.  Talk about a lack of talent. The question is not which team will win the division, but which team will back into it. And our pick is the Bucs. We cannot have any faith in a team in which Tua is challenging for the starting job at QB.  Saints may be competitive, so they will be our choice for second, with Atlanta third and Carolina last. 

AFC Championship Game Bengals/Broncos/Bills. B  B  B. 

NFC Championship Game. Rams/Lions/Bears (B). 

Super Bowl Rams/Bengals. With the Bengals just maybe knocking off the Rams bid for an undefeated championship season! 

First week teams to focus on for betting: Jets/Bengals/Bears/Broncos and Dolphins/Raiders under. 

RUMPOLE SHRUGGED

 

So did Atlas 

JUDGE JUDITH KREEGER HAS PASSED AWAY

 We knew Judge Kreeger having infrequently appeared before her. We remember a Judge fully prepared, well versed in the law who carefully listened to both sides and then issued her ruling.  Doesn't seem like a lot to ask, and yet...

As another judge recently remarked to us, "She was professional but did not suffer fools lightly." 

From the CJ's letter: 

It is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news of the passing of Judge Judith L. Kreeger, a cherished member of our judicial community and a retired colleague whose impact on our court and on families across our state and nation will be remembered for generations.

 Judge Kreeger devoted 17 and a half years of distinguished service as a Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, most of that time in the Family Division. Her extensive legal knowledge and dedication to children and families set a standard for excellence and compassion that continues to shape the culture of our family courts. 

 She served in our court family from 1993 to 2009, and after retirement, she continued to serve as a Senior Circuit Judge, always offering her knowledge, her mentorship, and her tireless service to our circuit and our community.

Judge Kreeger’s contributions extend beyond Miami-Dade County, as she was one of four judges in the International Hague Network of Judges, contributing to international guidelines that help protect children in cross border abduction cases. She educated judges around the world, participating in Hague workshops, Malta Conferences, and the Special Commission meetings. Her leadership helped strengthen judicial communication globally and expanded the reach of the 1980 Hague Convention.

 Here at home, she served on the Florida Supreme Court’s Steering Committee on Children and Families in the Courts, chairing subcommittees that improved access, case management, and the experience of self represented litigants. Through countless judicial and legal education programs—statewide, national, and international—she guided lawyers, judges, and scholars in understanding family law with both rigor and heart.

 Judge Kreeger was also an author, a certified family law mediator, and the recipient of numerous honors, including the Community Service Award from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and Jurist of the Year from the Florida Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

 We will always remember her for her keen legal intellect and her deep compassion for the families who entered our courts. She was a teacher, a colleague, a mentor, and a friend to so many.

EVERYBODY WANTS TO KNOW...

 Who's the best first pick in their fantasy football league.

Who should they pick first in the famous REGJB Blog Survivor Pool? (Hint- not the Dolphins unless you want to go out week one; week two; week three; week four, et. al.). 

When is Mexico's next payment for the Wall scheduled to be made?

Just how open are the Straits of Trump? 

When will there be a new cafe at the REGJB?  This may be a hot topic in the prediction pool markets. Our take? Well after the President has breakfast with new Speaker of the House Hakim Jeffries after the midterms. 

AND....

How should one play Nvidia in light of the earnings call today after the market closes with CEO Jensen Huang.

We know Nvidia has fallen post earnings five of the last six quarters. We also know Nvidia will beat expectations and raise guidance. But here is what the market will be looking at.  Are Nvidia's investments in their customers circular financing- meaning they are loaning money to their customers to buy their chips?  Or is Jensen creating a new equity market for his company?

 Our take is it is the latter, and it will not matter. (And we like to rhyme, most of the time). 

Nvidia will most likely fall tomorrow as per the put/call ratio we are seeing. And then over the next year it will rise. Most analysts have a price of +300 on the stock currently trading around 210.  Rumpole says "buy Nvidia, don't trade it." 

So keep your powder dry today and be a buyer tomorrow, next week, and next month. And while you're at it look at the Yahoo/Finance piece on AMD with the headline that it "may rip up 40%..." . Just sayin...

Meanwhile, the Fins  RBArchane is a good first round pick, as is Cardinal's rookie RB Love, and a few other bangers. In our expert opinion do not go WR until rounds 2-3 and QB rounds 4-5-6. 

HEADWARE

 Whilst the comments have taken off in discussing a local federal Judge's comments about ethnic headwear, can you identify the hefty president who appointed the Judge? 

One of these two scale-busters is the biggest president ever. 

Let's say a Judge hates baseball. And there's a lawsuit over the Marlins. Can the judge preside over the case? 

Let's say a Judge is a vegetarian; can they preside over a lawsuit seeking to shut down an abattoir? 

Let's say a Judge hates rap music and thinks it adversely affects society; can they sit on a 2Live Crew copyright infringement case? 

Could a Jewish judge rule in a deportation case of a Nazi? 

And finally, could Republican judges be counted on in Florida to allow a full recount in a contested presidential election, where stopping the recount would allow the Republican candidate to be elected president?  (Never mind- we know the answer to this one. Ask Al Gore if you forgot). 

CLUES

 Need a break from post-election angst? Worrying about the Iran war which we were assured would be over in two weeks? Can't sleep because the world's superpower can't manufacture replacement missiles in less than two years while a third-rate oppressive theocracy can apparently refresh its arsenal within weeks while being bombed?  Going over the figures of Mexico paying for the wall and not finding any payments? Got a Judge who sets you for trial the day after you return from vacation and thinks they are doing you a favor? Searching in vain for one defense-positive opinion from the Eleventh Circuit?  Stressing over who to pick as your QB in fantasy football and wondering whether the Bears QB was a one-year wonder? 

Fear not. We have just the answer for you. 

Play this game- Clues by Sam. Find the criminals and find the innocent people through an ingenious use of word clues where there is no drone-prosecutor mindlessly intoning victim wants max while the Desantis drone smiles and calls balls and strikes. 

After we do the failing NY Times puzzles of Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections (which we are not the biggest fan of), the Mini (which we are), Strands (our latest obsession), and the two gems in the Washington Post- Keyword and Wridges, we head over to Clues by Sam and do what we do best- find the innocent people.

Enjoy.

We also usually get to 18 words, (we've yet to get a perfect score, but have come all so close, ugh)    Zanagrams, and Uncrossy.  

Those are more bullet train/airplane ride games when we take a break from reading what Gen Z calls K Bros (Brothers Karamazov)