PROSECUTOR OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to ASA Marie Mato and  (new) USDC Judge Darrin Gayles who were honored Saturday night with the Prosecutor of the Year award and Justice Award respectively by the League of Superheroes  Justice Prosecutors.  We were remiss in not posting this Friday or Saturday.  Of course we were not invited, but we still think that the League and the award serve important purposes. 

Many judges and criminal defense attorneys are ex-prosecutors. We often hear people talk of their experiences while prosecutors, and many times they talk about the story of the case they dismissed because they believed the defendant to be innocent. It gets so difficult in the heat of battle, especially when dealing with a contentious and perhaps even obnoxious opposing counsel to keep your eye on the ball- which is doing justice. The best of prosecutors do this, and a dinner awarding judges and prosecutors who seek justice is a good thing. Marie Mato has won some high profile cases this year and she is a very good prosecutor. But it is her reputation among the judiciary and defense bar as a prosecutor who is fair and honest and will always listen and do the right thing that makes this award especially appropriate. 

Last week also brought the good news that Scotland voted NO on seceding from the United Kingdom.  We've spent most of our adult life trying to get UK citizenship and an entire country wants to renounce theirs?  We don't get it. 

The Nations not so blessed as thee, 
must in their turns to tyrants fall
whilst thou shall flourish great and free
the dread and enemy of them all

Rule Britannia!
Britannia rules the waves
Britons never never never shall be slaves

Have a great week. We will. 
See You In Court. 

ADVICE AND CONSENT AND RUMPOLE REVEALED!

UPDATE: We promised you a picture:

The Senate Judiciary Committee (motto: "Dispensing advice and consent since 1776") meets today at 10:00 AM on the nominations of Dade Judges Beth Bloom and Darrin Gayles. If they seem a little taller it's because they're standing on the shoulders of Judge Wil Thomas who paved their way. 

If the committee approves Judges Gayles and Bloom then their nomination gets sent to the whole senate for a vote sometime before 2030. 

The committee is meeting on four florida judicial nominations, two for the southern district and two for the middle district. 

Your Florida Marlins won big on opening night in Miami. 

In case you're wondering, we've never filled out a bracket for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and we never will. 

Espionage:
The NY Times reported that the Obama administration is considering releasing Jonathan Pollard who is serving a life sentence since his arrest in 1985 for spying for Israel. Should a prisoner convicted of espionage get a sentence reduction because he was spying for an ally? 


Today at noon, on 4/1/14, if you care, we will release our identity. It's about damn time we got the recognition we deserve for this blog. So tune in and be surprised. 

It's a beautiful spring week. 

See you in court. 

NO MORE DELAYS

"There's no good reason good can't triumph over evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia." 
Kurt Vonnegut. 

Ok. Now the Herald is getting serious. 

In light of Senator Rubio's (R. Alternate reality) refusal to allow the nomination of Judge Will Thomas  proceed to the  senate judiciary committee (Motto: "We'll get right on it") the Miami Herald Editorial Board now has it's dander up. It's feathers are ruffled over this kerfuffle,  and they've had enough dammit! 

The Herald is calling for (steady yourself) an end (gasp!) to the delays in approving judicial nominations. Through some careful reporting and sophisticated analysis, the Herald is now prepared to say that politics are behind the delays in confirming judges. And they don't like it one bit:

These delays of nomination votes have unfortunately become routine in gridlocked Washington. President Obama is hardly the first Oval Office occupant to see his federal judicial nominations languish in the Senate. But really, senators, almost two years to confirm a single judicial appointment?

The delays are driven, almost entirely, by crass partisanship. The result is U.S. District Court vacancies that go unfilled, literally, for years. That’s justice delayed, justice denied. And it’s entirely the fault of the U.S. Senate.

The full editorial is here. 

Rumpole says:  Judges Beth Bloom and Darrin Gayles benefit from Senator Rubio's intransigence on Judge Thomas. 

Rubio got his pound of flesh and won't stand in the way of Bloom and Gayles' nomination. 

Life is all about the timing. 

Enjoy your weekend. 

See you in court. 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/06/3917656/no-more-delays.html#storylink=cpy

POST BOND? DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH

The problems with the Dade County Jail and Corrections continue: Like the Roach Motel, you can check in but you cannot check out:

Dear Colleagues,

Please see the below information regarding acute delays in the releasing of defendants from MDCR custody.  It appears that Miami Dade is experiencing a lack of connectivity with the national AFIS system which is used to confirm the identities of detainees.

I have been in touch with MDCR's legal advisor and she is unsure as to whether this a nationwide or local problem, but has been told by Miami Dade representatives that AFIS should be up and accessible again by 9:00 pm.  Having checked in with Ken Hassett in Broward and based on the lack of complaints there, it appears to be a local problem for us. 

We will continue to monitor the problem and prepare to take all necessary options that are available to us.  If any of you have experienced delays today, please contact me to discuss details.

Best,

Eddie Pereira

President FACDL-Miami

JUDGES BLOOM AND GAYLES NOMINATED:

Dade Circuit Judges Darrin Gayles and Beth Bloom were nominated by the White House today to the  United States District Court for the Southern District Of Florida. As we have seen, a nomination is barely worth the paper it is written on. Does the White House have the clout to move these nominations out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and to a full vote? 

The citizens of South Florida could not be better served than by having these two outstanding judges confirmed. 

See You In Court. 

PS. No truth to the rumor a certain local Miami Beach politician sent out requests to the media to be interviewed on this story. 

LETS GET TO WORK v1.0

UPDATE: ROC ROLL AND REMEMBER WITH TUNIS IN 2011.....Breaking today: Judge Dava Tunis to ROC court to fill the Julio Jimenez division. Julio to civil(??). Hottest unconfirmed rumor is that Darrin Gayles, the peripatetic former County Court Judge, who was sent to Seff's old division and never made it (promotion) and then was tentatively scheduled for Juvie/Dependency may never make it there and may end up in Tunis's old division. Stay tuned...bulletins at once (or at least after the gym and spa, or if not then, then after dinner as there is limited internet connection in Bourbon Steak in the 4 Seasons where we have been dining lately.)

Our new Governor is sworn in today at 11:00 am. There will be a parade and fireworks afterward and then a Governor's ball tonight.

So much for Republican austerity.

Although he pledged to get Florida back to work, one of our new governor's first acts was to disband a state agency and put all those employees out of work.

Birthdays:

One of our favourite biographers- Doris Kearns Goodwin turns 68. Don't miss her Lincoln work- Team of Rivals, as well as her "No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor."

Don Shula turns 81 today. Happy Birthday Coach: any interest in returning?

Obama's Day: AF One lands around 11:00 am with the first family and then the President is in the oval office in the afternoon. Only scheduled meeting is with Sec Def Gates.

This week in Congress: The 112th Congress is sworn in and then an alphabetic voice role call for a vote for the Speaker of the House. First official order of business? On Thursday they will read the Constitution from 10:30-12:30. Then they will crumple it up and move on to their own special interests.

REGJB ROTATION UPDATE: (via the Colonel of County Court)

Judge Vicki Brennan will leave her comfortable digs at Family Court/Domestic Violence and roll up her robe sleeves and take over Judge Seff's (nee Gayles) DUI division and dive right into to the world of breath samples, roadside exercises, HGN, and such.

Welcome Judge B.

Check out the JAA Blog for their coverage of the new Broweird Judicial assignments. See "Courthouse Feng Shui".

Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre has in all probability left the NFL. No more sports for him. But he will be in a courtroom for a while to come, as a few masseuses from the NY Jets have sued him for losing their jobs after they complained about receiving sexually suggestive text messages.

If he thought D-Line took cheap shots, wait till he gets a load of a bunch of civil lawyers trying to make a name for themselves.

It's nice here in DC. We may stay for a bit.

See you in court.