TOBIN QUITS!!

The Chief Judge of Broward County resigned today effective June 30, 2011.

The Sun Sentinel article is here.

The Pulp coverage is here.

Tobin was one of those "old-boy network" Broward Judges who went out of his way, at least in dealing with us when he first got on the bench about 15 years ago, to treat us rudely and let us know in no uncertain terms that he did not like Miami lawyers coming to Broward County. Our sincere hope is that in private practice he encounters Judges who treat him just as he treated us. Karma.

Tobin will apparently be joining some foreclosure mill. Good luck with that.

Mike Walsh update: DOM reports that the federal trial that Mike Walsh missed a few weeks ago started up today and that Mike was present representing his client. We hope this means Mike is doing better and has things under control. Mike is a talented trial attorney and sometimes (and we have no idea what on earth is going on) that comes at a terrible price for an attorney's personal life.

See You In Court.

mqc

THOSE WACKY JUDGES AND LAWYERS FROM YOU KNOW WHERE

There is so much going on in Broweird we hardly know where to begin.

Lets start with Judge (but not for long) Ana Gardiner. Here's what we know: The girl can chat! Texting and phone calls to her main squeeze -Attorney Howard Scheinberg.

Judge (but not for long) Gardiner just caught a JQC complaint. What you need to know when evaluating her prodigious texting abilities is that the Howard Scheinberg she was texting and canoodling with, is the same Howard Scheinberg who was THE PROSECUTOR in a death penalty case before her.

From the JQC Complaint courtesy of the Daily Pulp:

During the period between March 23, 2007, when you began your close personal relationship with Mr. Scheinberg, and August 24, 2007, the date you imposed the death penalty on Mr. Loureiro, your phone records reveal, and you do not dispute, that you had 949 telephone calls with Mr. Scheinberg and 471 text messages, for a total of 1,450 separate communications over a period of 155 calendar days. That averages 9.35 communications per day between you and Mr. Scheinberg, 7 days a week ...

... On August 23-25, 2007, which included the date before, the date of and the date after the sentencing, you had 19 telephone conversations and 25 text messages with Mr. Scheinberg, for a total of 44 communications on those three days ...

Here's why we say Judge Gardiner is soon to be a former Judge: before issuing the JQC complaint the JCQ questioned Judge Gardiner about her relationship with Prosecutor Scheinberg. Judge Gardiner testified to this under oath:

... The same Panel member asked this follow-up question: "Again, just to clarify, my understanding is that you - - during the time your were a judge and he was a prosecutor, you did not have any kind of social relationship with Howard Scheinberg?" And your answer was: "If I saw him maybe at one retirement - - they gave they give plaquings [sic] to the younger prosecutors when they leave after three years. He could have been at a plaquing [sic] where the attorneys and the judges go. But I don't ever remember even sitting with him and socializing." This was a misleading answer because it failed to reveal the personal relationship and the thousands of calls and text messages between you and Mr. Scheinberg between March 23, 2007, and the date of the November 13, 2008, hearing before the Investigative Panel. Your answer demonstrates a lack of candor toward the Commission ...

"Sitting with"? Nope. "Socializing with"? Not really. Texting? Well that's a different story. From the JQC Complaint:

Your relationship with Mr. Scheinberg continued beyond the sentencing date of Mr. Loureiro. For example, during the period March 31, 2008, through the end of August, 2008, you had 1,166 telephone calls with Mr. Scheinberg and2,222 text messages, for a total number of communications of 3,388. During that 154 day period, you averaged 22 communications per day with Mr. Scheinberg, which is almost one communication per hour for each 24 hour day

Can you say "TOAST"?

And lets no forget the Head Honcho in Broweird- Chief Judge Vic "dodge em" Tobin. The old fella still apparently has a few moves left in him as he "dodged" a Sun Sentinel Reporter who waited outside his chambers on Thursday for two hours (!) just to get a comment.

From the Sun Sentinel article:

Chief Broward Judge Victor Tobin dodged a Sun Sentinel reporter who waited outside his chambers Thursday for two hours to speak to him about Gardiner's absence.

You really need to read the Pulp and Sun Sentinel articles in full to get the real flavor of just how corrupt they are in Broweird. Judges sleeping with prosecutors trying death penalty cases before them; Chief Judges dodging the press; lawyers getting special treatment from the Bar. The whole stinking mess smells to high 201 SE 6th Street.

So, on this cold Friday night, cuddle up with your laptop and a steaming mug of tea (with a nip of Brandy) and be prepared to be shocked, surprised, and disgusted with all of your favourtie characters in our most compelling reality Blog Drama: "The Days of Our Broward Judges and Lawyers."

CHIEF JUDGE AND PD SALARIES

Broward has elected a new Chief Judge. Victor Tobin wins 49-38.

The Broward Blog also has some good information on how Broward continues to send non-violent african americans to prison twice as much as any other county.


PD SALARIES???

A controversy has erupted on the blog comments section. I received an email purporting to list the salaries for top paid PD's. I didn't feel right about posting it. I then received several private and public emails in support of publishing the list, so I published it; then I took it down. I am willing to consider changing my mind but here are my thoughts:

There is no allegation that anyone is doing anything wrong here. Thus, I am forced to conclude the spirit behind the desire to post the salary list is malicious and intended to embarrass those on the list. The list is public record and easily obtained. Anyone can create a website and post the list for whatever purposes they have.

My thought is that a salary is sort of a personal matter. I freely admit we have mocked and ridiculed individuals on these pages, but in every instance it was a public figure doing something related to their job. To just try and embarrass someone based on how much they earn or do not earn just does not sit right with me.

Therefore, until someone can convince me otherwise, I choose not to publish the PD salary list, and I would make the same decision for the SAO salary list. If anyone has information that someone is earning a salary for something they are not doing or have not legitimately earned, we would allow those posts up and invite comment on the matter.

As my law school professor used to say every time I gave the wrong answer in class "Sometimes wrong, but never in doubt."

See You In Court.