FAX MACHINE FIGHT LIVES ON

BAD COLD WEATHER APPROACHING: Temperatures to drop to the mid to upper 30's in South Florida after midnight. National weather service issues "wind chill advisory" for South Florida from 10pm tonight through 9am Wednesday.  It's currently 66 degree in Miami, wind out of the WNW gusting to 25 MPH. You know how we love to report the weather so monitor this site frequently as we report on COLD SNAP 09!!!!!

Update: 55 degrees at 8:25 pm on its way down to the low 30's. 

BREAKING NEWS: Senator Ted Kennedy suffers seizure at post inauguration luncheon. NY Times report here. 

First Course "seafood chowder" chief suspect in collapse. 

ANSWER TO TRIVIA: William Henry Harrison took the oath of office on a cold day in March. Ridiculed for his supposed lack of intellect, he felt compelled to give a two hour inaugural address, outside, without a coat or hat. He caught a cold, it turned to pneumonia, and he died a few months later, the first president to die in Office. His VP John Tyler, was at home allegedly playing marbles when he learned Harrison had died. He went to Washington, where there were no clear rules on succession. Many thought there had to be a new election. His secretary of State, Daniel Webster told Tyler that all executive decisions would be make by vote of the cabinet. Tyler told him to go to hell. Tyler remained president for three plus years. He refused to nominate a VP. The Whigs threw him out of the Whig party a few months after he became president. 

NEXT PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA QUESTION: THIS PRESIDENT WHO SERVED TWO TERMS  TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE TWICE. THE SECOND OATH OF OFFICE WAS GIVEN EIGHT YEARS AFTER THE FIRST OATH OF OFFICE.  WHO WAS THE PRESIDENT AND WHY THIS STRANGE OCCURRENCE OF OATHS? 

Twittter with Rumpole. It's all the rage. Sign up here. 

The title of the post links to the "Inside Track" column of the DBR of January 15, 2009 that reports that Judge Maria Dennis's counsel, "Diamond" Joel Hirschorn (anyone remember that nickname from the 70's-80's?) has written Governor Charlie Crist requesting he appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Judge David Miller in light of the Dade SAO's  (motto: "we prosecute almost any dumb case, unless it involves a judge") refusal to bring Judge David Miller before a jury of his frustrated fax peers. 

Let's see...what else?  Difficult Tuesday with a Monday off. Hmm..long weekend....won one of two picks on the Football games. Steelers will whup Cardinals in boring Super Bowl....hmm...anything else? 

Oh yeah. Obama sworn in as President today. Texas gets its idiot back.  

News flash: Federal Judges are underpaid. NY Times says so. 

Presidential trivia:  from time to time this month we will post some presidential trivia questions in honor of the new president. 

Which president served the shortest term? Which president served his term without a vice president? This one term president was kicked out of his party shortly after assuming office. What relation does this president have to the president who served the shortest term? 

See You In Court. Twittering.   Here's an idea: I will email my name to the first Judge who Twitters us from the Bench!!!!!

MILLER WALKS!!!!!

"The Accused" beats the rap. 

In the most high profile Dade County Judicial Battery case since, well, has there ever been a sitting Judge who complained s/he was battered by a colleague?,   The Dade County State Attorneys Office has declined to prosecute Circuit Court Judge David "O.J." Miller for an accusation that he battered Circuit Court  Judge Maria Dennis.  

Joe Centorino, chief of the Public Corruption Unit, who has been (we've been reliably informed) working on this earth shattering case night and day ever since the shocking allegations became public,  wrote a close out memo in which his office declined to file charges against Judge Miller, whom colleagues have taken to calling "The Teflon Judge" in reference to his "John Gotti" like ability to escape criminal prosecution. 

 Centorino noted that the "Faux Fax Fight Fiasco" was better suited for a Judicial Qualifications Complaint. 

Anybody know if the victim, Judge Maria Dennis, has filed a JQC Complaint?  Anybody care?

Chief Judge Farina, (who was recently overheard to say "I'm not gonna miss dealing with those two ^%$#&&((!! Judges when I'm gone") in one of his last acts as Chief Judge, banished the Jousting Jurists  to separate floors of the (un)civil court house, and in a Solomon like decision, gave each of them their very own Fax machine. 

No confirmation yet of the rumors that both TV Judges Marilyn Milian and David Young were battling for the rights to bring the litigants into their own private courts. 

See You In Court, defending battery charges every bit as ridiculous as this one, but charges which for some reason, aren't screened as carefully as Mr. Centorino screened this one. 

PS. You know there are dozens of ideas that flow from this little contretemps. (French for "a little fight in which the French end up surrendering".  Benefits of a classical education I guess.) 

"Fighting Judges" an ABC reality show that could air after Dancing with the Stars. The TV Cameras  follow two Judges who don't like each for weeks as they train and spar and get ready for a fight. The final episode would be a ratings block buster. 

CSI Miami - special Miami Civil Courthouse edition. Where the CSI Miami group pours into the civil courthouse and closely inspects the crime scene to see if charges can be filed. 

Post your ideas in the comments section. These two are a blogger's dream. 

FAX FIGHT- BEST OF

Some of the best comments from the comments sections by our readers  about the  Fax fight between Judge David Miller and Judge Maria Espinosa Dennis:

judges sepe, shenberg and gelber said...
We have all gotten together because this brings shame and dishonor on the Dade Judiciary and we are all individually and collectively appalled.

anonymous said... (edited by Rumpole. Full comment is in yesterdays post.)
Where do I start?
Judge Blake has 38 new jokes
Judge Lindsey doesnt understand this whole thing
Judge Muir is explaining it to Judge Lindsey
Judge Thomas is holding a hearing on this at 10pm Friday
Judge Margolious is remembering all the judges he did a "nugie" on over the years

Anonymous:

Rumpole, please just the fax. hahahahhaha. get it? just the facts (fax) ???

And our personal favourite:

anonymous said...
Cost of an Administrator for 120 Judges $100,000.00 +
Cost of a Fax Machine - $350.00
Seeing the Judiciary behave like children because the Administration did not do their job -
Priceless.