UPDATE: here is the AOC announcement on Judge Carney with his background information.
Update: I can't believe I wrote about Judge Carney and forgot to mention Gus. Gus was his bailiff, and not to get too sappy, but at least as it went in court, they completed each other. This must be a tough time for Gus. He was a loyal employee, and a one of a kind bailiff.
I guess the first thing that comes to mind is he had a very low tolerance for BS. And he had a definite way of letting you know that.
He was a consummate jurist.
He was an old time Miami guy who had a ton of war stories.
Prior to becoming a Circuit Judge he was a very successful civil trial lawyer. If I recall correctly, either in personal injury as a plaintiff's lawyer or a defense attorney.
I believe he was one of the first judges to run the old back-up system where cases were tried 5 hours a day and two judges shared one courtroom with one judge working the morning shift and the second judge working the afternoon shift.
Tom Carney was from a different era. It's hard to imagine him walking into a Starbucks and ordering a Latte. It's easy to picture him at the bar in the clubhouse after a round of golf drinking a cold one. Or two.
As I wrote before: He was a real judge. He was a real man. I've missed him ever since he retired to the golf courses of North Carolina for his well deserved retirement.
I remember him fondly.
Farewell old friend.