MIAMI JUDGE RIC MARGOLIUS HAS PASSED AWAY

 

Sad news to report that retired REGJB Judge Ric Margolius a/k/a Ric Zweig has passed away. 

This is a complicated obituary to write. Much like Jimmy Carter, Ric Margolius accomplished a lot when he left the bench. A music career that earned him accolades and in which he donated profits of CDs to charity.  Click here and here. 

When he returned to the REGJB to do some coverage, he was, well, a character. We once saw security stop him in a back hallway, sure the person they were seeing did not belong there. 

Ric Margolius started his career as a prosecutor and then a public defender. Even at the beginning he was a mixture of black and white, odd and even, and perhaps more aptly - hot and cold. He could run that way - changing temps mid-sentence as he praised a lawyer and then berated them. He served on the bench during a time when there was not 24/7 scrutiny and exposure of every little thing a person does. To put it politely he did not suffer fools lightly. His manner in court could be caustic, cantankerous, or just ornery. He would not get high marks on Judicial Temperament. 

But that means he called it as he saw it. He was not afraid to lambast a prosecutor who was stepping over bounds or hiding behind a "victim wants max" mantra. He wanted to see justice done. And he was not beyond giving a defendant a good old-fashioned dressing-down when they pled guilty to a crime. 

But there was obviously another side to him, and his life after the bench, spent making music and working for charities speaks a lot to the heart he had and his desire to make Miami a better place than he found it. 

We are certain we will not see his like again in our courthouse. He spoke his mind freely, and did what he thought was right, regardless of the consequences or who was offended. 

 He was certainly one of a kind.  May he rest in peace. 

POTATOES

UPDATE: HERE'S THE A-FORM (THEY CALL IT PC AFFIDAVIT IN BROWEIRD) FOR THE JUDGE. The Judge refused to provide a urine/blood sample. She blew a 0.00 and she took a bizarre selfie-video earlier in the morning as she ran off the road on I-95. Clients! whaddya going to do? 

UPDATE: JUDGE LYNN ROSENTHAL ARRESTED IN BROWARD FOR DUI AND POSSIBLY LSA. The JAA Broward Blog has all the details.
With all due respect to our Broward colleagues, it's a miserable place to work, populated by unhappy people whose only joy in life is bringing misery to others. It is therefore not surprising to us to see that the Broward Judiciary has a substance abuse problem. Being the way that they are has a way of taking a toll on a person and catching up with them. Karma Kramer.


Judge Ric Margolius, Ret. (SA) saw fit to write into the blog last week. We generally will re-post anything a judge submits, especially if he is in a cantankerous mood:

Ric Margolius said...

This is only the second time I have written to the Blog since as a rule I avoid the juvenile nonsense that masquerades as legitimate discourse. My judicial career is 33 years wearing the robe and over 500 jury trials as a ASA, PD, County Judge, Circuit Judge and Senior Judge. Respectfully, anyone who advocates a sounding calendar is a blithering idiot. They simply serve no useful purpose. A complete waste of time and money. Disrespectful to the private bar, and takes valuable time away from the pit attorneys who need that time to prepare their caseload. I spent 15 consecutive years in 4-6 (the longest continuous tenure in criminal division in the history of the MJB) and next to Rob Pineiro (bless his soul) had the lowest case load year after year after year. How did I do it? Simple - never granted a second continuance except in exceptional circumstances. I wasn't there to be popular or win friends. You can all go screw yourselves was my motto then and that continues to this day. Ask any PD or ASA who worked in my Court, how I handled the caseload which NEVER exceeded 599. Thanks for reading, now you can all go back to writing about your imaginary nightclubs, imaginary trial lawyers and your sex lives which exist only in your imagination.

Friday, May 23, 2014 8:47:00 AM

 

Rumpole notes: It's hard to read between the lines of this comment, since the good judge-as always-tends to moderate his comments so as not to offend anyone. But in our expert opinion, he tends to slightly disfavour soundings. 

Miami Herald Reporter/Tweeter/TV Star David Ovalle posted this picture of REGJB lawyer Simon Steckel inspecting the damage to his rental vehicle in NYC.  The driver of the ATV, who was fleeing from NY's Finest? To quote  Hans in "Die Hard", "He won't be joining us for the rest of his life."

JUDGE $USPENDED.
Embattled Broward Judge Giselle Pollack was suspended without pay by the Florida Supreme Court on Friday. Tough way to start the holiday weekend. The order and related docs from the Florida Supreme Court are here.  H/T JAA Blog. 

Rumpole and Scalia agree: We both dislike the proposal to reduce law school from three years to two. The Justice made his comments in a commencement address at William and Marys, reported by the WSJ Law Blog here. 

Short week. Summer is here. 
See you in court.