GOVERNOR DESANTIS TO NAME TWO NEW THIRD DCA JUDGES TODAY AT 2:00 PM

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

YOUR TWO NEWEST 3^RD DCA JUDGES .....

ARE:

JUDGE MONICA GORDO
Judge Gordo has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1999. She spent 11 years at the State Attorney's Office before getting elected to the Circuit Court bench in 2010 besting Robert Kuntz.  She was reelected in 2016 without opposition.

FLEUR LOBREE
Three times a charm.  Appointed to the County bench in 2011 by Governor Scott, she lost in her election to Michelle Alvarez Barakat in 2012 (71% to 29%).  Appointed again by Scott to the Circuit Court bench in 2013, she lost in her bid to hold that seat, in 2014, to Mavel Ruiz (54% to 46%).  She has spent most of her career as an appellate attorney at the State Attorney's office in Miami.

Will be announced today at a press conference at 2:00 PM when Governor DeSantis will personally introduce the two newest appointments at the Alan Schwartz Atrium at the Third District Court of Appeal.

Our sources are buzzing. They first alerted us to the fact that, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, in Tallahassee, Governor Scott’s Legal Counsel interviewed the nine finalists to replace Justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck who were both elevated to the Florida Supreme Court. Those interviewed included:

Hon. Monica Gordo
Christopher Johnson
Hon. Timothy Koenig
Fleur Lobree
Oren Rosenthal
Eduardo Sanchez
Ann St. Peter Griffith
Hon. Daryl Trawick
Hon. Lisa Walsh

Now our sources have confirmed the surprise Press Conference later today.

The two newest jurists will join freshly appointed 3^rd DCA Judges Eric Hendon and Bronwyn Miller who were both appointed by Governor Scott on his way out the door in late December of 2018.

COUNTY COURT

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

On March 27, 2019, Governor DeSantis named Judges Michelle Alvarez Barakat and Tanya Brinkley to the Circuit Court (replacing Judges Hendon & Miller - see above). With those two appointments, that opened up two seats on the County Court.

The 11^th Judicial Circuit JNC will interview 19 attorneys and then send up to 12 names to Governor DeSantis. A total of 27 attorneys applied to the JNC, but eight failed to make the cut. Those scheduled for an interview on Monday, April 29^th include:

　
8:00 a.m. Karl S. Brown
8:10 a.m. Miguel J. Chamorro
8:20 a.m. Ritamaria Gonzalez Cuervo
8:30 a.m. Elsa Maria Fernandez
8:40 a.m. Blanca Torrents Greenwood
8:50 a.m. Peter S. Heller
9:00 a.m. Zachary N. James
9:10 a.m. Scott M. Janowitz
9:20 a.m. Jeffrey M. Kolokoff
9:40 a.m. Gale Lewis
10:30 a.m. Arya Attari Li
10:40 a.m. Steven Lieberman
10:50 a.m. Jonathan Meltz
11:00 a.m. Griska Mena
11:10 a.m. Julie Harris Nelson
11:20 a.m. Christopher Pracitto
11:40 a.m. Kayla Riera-Gomez
11:50 a.m. Melissa Roca Shaw
12:00 p.m. Stephanie Silver


NEWS FROM THE CAPITOL .......

The Florida Legislature has been in session since March 5^th and they are scheduled to adjourn sini die on May 3^rd. Several bills have passed both the House and the Senate and have been sent to Govenor DeSantis’ desk for his signature. This week, DeSantis received Senate Bill 96, which amends, among other things, F.S. 843.19: the injuring, disabling or killing of a police, fire, or SAR canine or police horse. Those crimes would go from a third degree felony to a second degree felony if DeSantis signs the bill into law.
　
CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

SO, YOU WANT TO BE AN ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY/ASSISTANT PUBLIC DEFENDER .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

TIME TO DISCUSS A REAL PROBLEM IN THE JUSTICE BUILDING .......

(BREAKING - 3rd DCA Grants Writ of Cert in State v. Wong, 3D19-169; issue is - 6 or 12 person jury for capital murder trial before Judge Blumstein. See the Comments Section for more on this story).

An article in the January 11^th edition of  THE FLORIDA BAR NEWS addresses a critical problem in our justice system. One in five Assistant State Attorneys and one in five Assistant Public Defenders left their jobs last year.

In Florida, the average starting salary for an ASA or APD is $41,700. By comparison, in neighboring Georgia, the average is $56,286; in North Carolina it’s $53,000; and in California, they start prosecutors and public defenders at a salary of $92,000.

State Attorney Dave Aronberg of the 15^th Judicial Circuit (Palm Beach) stated that front line prosecutors and public defenders are leaving government service at such a fast rate that it is becoming an issue of public safety. "Many times, you will have a young prosecutor making $42,000, who is sitting at a table discussing a case with a first-year cop from Boca Raton, who is making $62,000 a year," Aronberg said. "And this is someone with seven years of education and six figures of education debt." The problem is, "once they get to be three- to five-year lawyers, and they’ve had about 50 or more trials, [his ASAs] are very attractive to private law firms who will pay them a lot more."

Buddy Jacobs, from the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, described the situation this way: "There are two kinds of prosecutors in Florida, those leaving . . . and those looking."

Aaronberg suggested that, according to a TaxWatch study, "raising salaries for assistant state attorneys and assistant public defenders would actually save taxpayers money in the long run."

So, what say you, our readers who work in the pits everyday? Is there a problem? What can WE do about it?

IN OTHER NEWS:

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

The 11^th Circuit JNC received a total of 22 applications from those wanting to replace Judges Eric Hendon and Bronwyn Miller who both now sit on the 3^rd DCA. The Commission narrowed the list to 18 that will be interviewed on February 15^th. They include:

9:00 a.m. William I. Altfield
9:10 a.m. Rebecca Valentina Aroca
9:20 a.m. Michelle Alvarez Barakat
9:30 a.m. Jason Bloch
9:40 a.m. Tanya Brinkley
9:50 a.m. Michelle A. Delancy
10:30 a.m. Ivy R. Ginsberg
10:40 a.m. Blanca Torrents Greenwood
10:50 a.m. Peter Heller
11:00 a.m. Scott M. Janowitz
11:10 a.m. Zachary N. James
11:20 a.m. Jeffrey M. Kolokoff
12:00 p.m. Steven Lieberman
12:10 p.m. Joseph J. Mansfield
12:20 p.m. Griska Mena
12:30 p.m. Julie Harris Nelson
12:40 p.m. Kayla A. Riera-Gomez
12:50 p.m. Abbe S. Rifkin

(Those who did not make the cut: Carmen R. Cabarga, Robyn J. Cohen (McCarthy), Tahya Fuenmayor, Gustavo Javier Losa).

SPEAKING OF THE 3^RD DCA .....

You still have time to apply to the 3^rd DCA JNC if you want to become an appellate court judge. There are two open seats on the 3^rd DCA resulting from the elevations of Justice Barbara Lagoa and Justice Robert J. Luck to the Florida Supreme Court.

The deadline to submit your application is Tuesday, February 19, 2019.

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

3RD DCA JNC SENDS TEN NAMES TO THE GOVERNOR FOR TWO OPEN SEATS .......

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

YOUR TWO NEW 3^RD DCA JUDGES .... WILL BE NAMED FROM THE FOLLOWING LIST OF NOMINEES .....

This past Monday and Tuesday, the 3rd DCA JNC interviewed a total of 17 for two open seats on the appellate court.  Today, the JNC narrowed the list to ten and forwarded those names to Governor Scott for his consideration.  The list includes six current and one former judge among the ten nominees.

Governor Scott has 60 days to name replacements for Judges Leslie Rothenberg and Richard Suarez. The two new judges will likely be chosen just two weeks before Scott leaves office as a lame duck Governor.

The list of nominees (click on the names of the last three listed below to be taken to their complete bio):

Hon. Monica Gordo
- 19 years Florida Bar; Circuit Court Family Division; eight years on the bench; former ASA

Hon. Eric Hendon
- 39 years Florida Bar; Circuit Court Criminal Division;  sixteen years on the bench; former ASA, APD, AAG

Hon. Timothy Koenig
- 34 years Florida Bar; Circuit Court Monroe County; four years on the bench; thirty years in private practice

Hon. Fleur Lobree
- 26 years Florida Bar; former Circuit Court judge (2 years) and County Court judge (1 year); former AAG, ASA

Hon. Bronwyn Miller
- 21 years Florida Bar; Circuit Court Civil Division; thirteen years on the bench; former ASA

Hon. Thomas Rebull
- 21 years Florida Bar; Circuit Court Civil Division; seven years on the bench; fourteen years in private practice

Hon. Lisa Walsh
- 26 years Florida Bar; Circuit Court Criminal Division; ten years on the bench; former APD

Oren Rosenthal 
-22 years Florida Bar; currently an Assistant Miami-Dade County Attorney; Oren Rosenthal currently serves as the lead attorney for the Miami-Dade Elections Department and the Information Technology Department. Oren has previously served as a member of the Federal Litigation section of the office. Oren is experienced as a litigator and as a transactional lawyer. Oren's litigation experience includes federal civil rights suits, intellectual property claims, complex commercial matters, as well as challenges to elections and the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter. Oren has also handled numerous appeals before both state and federal appellate courts.

Ann St. Peter-Griffith
-24 years Florida Bar; currently with Kasowitz, Benson, Torres LLP; has a national practice that focuses on all aspects of complex commercial litigation, including health care, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, False Claims Act, product liability, constitutional, and employment discrimination cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts. Also represents health care clients in civil and criminal matters throughout the United States. Former AUSA. 

Melissa Damian Visconti
-23 years Florida Bar; currently Of Counsel to Damian & Valori; experienced trial and appellate lawyer who has appeared in state and federal courts across Florida and around the country. Ms. Visconti is Of Counsel to the Firm and focuses her practice in the areas of state and federal court appeals, complex litigation, and receiverships. Ms. Visconti has extensive experience in state and federal appeals courts, as well as in the areas of products liability, whistleblower and False Claims Act cases, securities, multidistrict litigation, and class action litigation. She is also experienced in criminal law, advising clients who are the subjects of or material witnesses in federal and state investigations

Who didn’t make the final cut:

Hon. Jason Bloch
Hon. Alexander Bokor
Hon. George Sarduy
Hon. Angelica Zayas
Jeffrey Geldens
Kansas Gooden
Edward Guedes

Predictions anyone?

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

17 APPLY FOR TWO OPEN SEATS ON 3RD DCA .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

SO, YOU WANT TO BE A 3^rd DCA JUDGE .......

The application deadline has passed, and you’ll be happy to know that Judge Michael Hanzman and Judge Milton Hirsch will not be leaving the trial bench any time soon. Neither of them applied for the two open seats on the 3^rd DCA due to the resignations of Judge Leslie Rothenberg and Judge Richard Suarez. Judge Lisa Walsh though is one of the 17 applicants*** that will be interviewed next week. A total of nine current and two former judges are among the applicants. Two, Judge Alexander Bokor and Edward Guedes are also being interviewed for the three open seats on the Florida Supreme Court.

The interviews will take place on Monday, October 22, 2018 and Tuesday, October 23, 2018. Those being interviewed include:

Hon. Jason Bloch

Hon. Alexander Bokor

Jeffrey R. Geldens

Kansas R. Gooden

Hon. Monica Gordo

Edward G. Guedes

Hon. Eric W. Hendon

Hon. Timothy J. Koenig (Monroe County)

Hon. Fleur J. Lobree

Hon. Bronwyn C. Miller

Ann M. St. Peter-Griffith

Hon. Thomas J. Rebull

Oren Rosenthal

Hon. George A. R. Sarduy

Melissa Damian Visconti

Hon. Lisa S. Walsh

Hon. Angelica D. Zayas

***It was rumored that Rumpole was personally asked to apply.  In response to the request, he issued a one word PCA that read: "Overqualified".

Members of the public are invited to attend the interviews (they are being held at the law offices of DLA Piper) and also are urged to contact the commission concerning the applicants. Please consider emailing any comments concerning any of the applicants to the JNC Chair:

Harout J. Samra, Chair
DLA Piper LLP
200 S. Biscayne Blvd., Suite 2500
Miami, FL 33131-5341
Tel: 305-423-8534
Email: harout.samra@dlapiper.com

Predictions anyone ?????

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

EIGHT NEW JUDGES COMING TO A COURTROOM NEAR YOU .....

BREAKING SATURDAY AFTERNOON: JUDGE KAVANAUGH CONFIRMED TO US SUPREME COURT IN 5-48 VOTE. Rumpole not to be nominated to fill Kavanaugh's seat on DC Court of Appeals. 

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

BREAKING NEWS:

AND YOUR THREE NEWEST COUNTY COURT JUDGES ARE ......

Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the appointment of three new County Court judges to replace Judges Dawn V. Denaro, Andrea Ricker Wolfson, and Renatha S. Francis; all three were previously promoted to the Circuit Court.

JUDGE CHRISTINE BANDIN, age 39, currently a partner with Shutts and Bowen. She has been a member of The Florida Bar for 11 years. She currently handles the defense of class action and mass litigation cases for them. She replaces Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson

JUDGE RAUL CUERVO, age 63, currently a shareholder at Carlton, Fields, Jorden, Burt. He has been a member of The Florida Bar for 33 years. He currently handled the defense of insurance claims, class action suits, and commercial litigation cases. He replaces Judge Renatha Francis.

JUDGE LUIS PEREZ-MEDINA, age 58, currently an ASA at Miami-Dade’s State Attorney’s Office. He has been a member of The Florida Bar for 12 years and has worked at the SAO for his entire career. He ran for an open Circuit Court seat in 2016 in a four way race coming in second place in the primary. In the general election run-off he lost a close contest to Judge Mark Blumstein, 51%-49%. He fills the vacancy created by Judge Dawn Denaro.


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

3^RD DCA & CIRCUIT COURT & COUNTY COURT .....

THIRD DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL:

Chief Judge Leslie Rothenberg and Judge Richard Suarez are resigning from the 3^rd DCA. As a result, the 3^rd DCA JNC is accepting applications for their replacements.

If you carefully watched the shenanigans that took place in 2016 with President Obama’s nomination of Merritt Garland to the then open Scalia seat, a nomination that was never even considered by the Senate’s Judiciary Committee for nearly a year, then you need to also think about these two open seats on the 3^rd DCA.

Over the next three months, despite the fact that Rick Scott is a lame duck Governor, he will likely appoint, or attempt to appoint a number of judges on the County Court, Circuit Court, DCAs, and yes, three open seats that will be on the Florida Supreme Court.

The 3^rd DCA JNC has provided only 19 days for applications to be submitted for the two open seats. The deadline is October 15^th. The Interviews are scheduled to take place the following week, on October 22-23. That means that Governor Scott should be receiving the finalists names on his desk on the evening of October 23, 2018. The Governor then has 60 days to choose the two replacements, with a deadline of December 22^nd.  Compare this to past history of DCA appointments by Scott and you notice that this particular appointment process has been expedited by approximately fourteen days; exactly the amount of days Scott will have remaining as Governor.   

So, in his final two weeks in office, Scott would likely be choosing the two new 3^rd DCA judges, despite the fact that, by then the Governor-Elect will have been known for a full 46 days.

CIRCUIT COURT:

With the resignation of Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan, (she is now the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida), Governor Scott also gets to name her replacement. Surprisingly, only ten applied for her seat. Those ten names were considered by the JNC and they have elected to interview two, consider four others who have already been recently interviewed, and not consider four others.

WILL BE INTERVIEWED ON 10/9/18:

DiRaimondo, Christina Marie
Guzman, Carlos

WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT THE NEED FOR AN INTERVIEW:

Altfield, William I.
Bokor, Alexander S.
Brinkley, Tanya J.
Perez-Medina, Luis

WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED:

Barton King, Michelle
Guitian Barker, Maria A.
Cabarga, Carmen R.
Perkins, Joseph

The finalists’ names will likely reach Governor Scott’s desk on the evening of October 9, 2018 with a deadline to name Judge Fajardo Orshan’s replacement of December 8, 2018; again, a full month after the Gubernatorial Election of 2018.

With the resignation of Judge Stephen Millan, the JNC interviewed seven applicants for the open Circuit Court seat including: William Altfield, Alexander Bokor, Tanya Brinkley, Ayana Harris, Gordon Murray, Jorge Perez, and Luis Perez-Medina.

The following names have been sent to Governor Scott:

Judge William Altfield
Judge Alexander Bokor
Judge Tanya Brinkley
Ayana Harris
Luis Perez-Medina

COUNTY COURT:

With the retirement of Judge Wendell Graham, the JNC interviewed one applicant for the open County Court seat: Ariel Rodriguez. They also considered all those applicants that were interviewed for the Denaro, Wolfson, and Francis vacancies.

The following names have been sent to Governor Scott:

Julie Harris Nelson
Jonathan Meltz
Gavin N.L. White

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TALLAHASSEE .....

UPDATE: Coming tomorrow: Our first REGJB Blog Person of the week. And it will surprise you. 

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

SINE DIE, ON FRIDAY ......?????

Yes, those words may or may not get uttered on Friday in Tallahassee.  Normally, the end of the legislative session is deemed official with the calling out of those words.  But, as of today, it looks like the budget will not get passed by both chambers by Friday, (the only constitutional requirement the legislature has), and that means the final day of the Spring 2017 legislative session will extend into the weekend or beyond.

Some good news:

SB 118, ADMINISTRATIVE SEALING OF CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORDS has passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor's desk.  The bill,  which can be found here sets up a process whereby certain records are sealed once the opportunity for appeals has expired.  Automatic administrative sealing of records of adults and minors charged with felonies or misdemeanors can occur if a State Attorney declines to file charges, all charges were dismissed before trial, or the person charged was found not guilty. 

The bill also covers entities engaged in the business of publishing arrest booking photographs.  It prohibits them from charging a fee to remove the photos.  It provides a mechanism for the requested removal of booking photos.

SB 312, POLICE LINEUP STANDARDS FOR EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATION, has passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor's desk.  The bill, which can be read in its entirety here requires law enforcement agencies to use lineup standards to avoid eyewitness mistakes that could lead to wrongful convictions.  Lineups will be required to be conducted by an administrator who does not know the suspect in order to ensure impartiality.  Also, witnesses should be told that suspects may or may not be in a photo or in person lineup and that they are not required to make an identification.

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

3RD DCA

Governor Scott will be naming a replacement for Judge Linda Wells.  He has until May 30th to decide between:

Judge Monica Gordo
Judge Norma S. Lindsey
Judge Bronwyn C. Miller
Oren Rosenthal, Esq.
Judge Daryl E. Trawick
Judge Angelica Zayas

CIRCUIT COURT

The JNC will interview nine applicants on Friday, May 19, to replace Judge Robert Luck:

1:30pm Joseph Mansfield
1:45pm Raul Cuervo
2:00pm Luis Perez-Medina
2:15pm Ayana Harris
2:30pm Judge Spencer Multack
2:40pm Judge Lourdes Simon
2:50pm Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson
3:00pm Judge Tanya Brinkley
3:10pm Judge Ivonne Cuesta

COUNTY COURT

The JNC, on the same day, will interview 16 applicants to replace Judge Victoria del Pino:
(Three applicants, Mansfield, Cuervo, and Perez-Medina, are being interviewed for both open seats).

9:30 a.m. Julie Harris Nelson
9:45 a.m. Natalie Rico
10:00 a.m. Peter Heller
10:15 a.m. Renatha Francis
10:30 a.m. Denise Martinez-Scanziani
10:45 a.m. Ramiro Christen Areces
11:15 a.m. General Magistrate Karl S.H. Brown
11:30 a.m. Christina Marie DiRaimondo
11:45 a.m. Vivianne Del Rio
NOON General Magistrate Gordon Charles Murray, Jr.
12:15 p.m. Elijah Levitt
1:00pm Steven Paulson
1:15pm Ariel Rodriguez
1:30pm Joseph Mansfield
1:45pm Raul Cuervo
2:00 pm Luis Perez-Medina

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com