HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US

 The Blog is 19 years old. We can vote and fight in a war. 

We've actually done both. 

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

 It was 2008 (many of the Judges reading this were in high school) and we had just set the courthouse on fire with a secret, free-wheeling blog, where we knew too much and said too little about who we were. We came across this New Times article from that time period and thought we would share it with our newer readers. 

New Times article Rumpole Ruffles The Courts. 

All these years later, we are still doing our best to ruffle. 

You know what mostly didn't exist in 2008? 

Social Media. At least the term. 

Twitter was an experiment. 

We may be wrong, but no one ever heard of Instagram in 2008. My Space was the rage. 

In 2008, pompous robe wearers were our juiciest targets.  Still are. The only difference was back then their dirty laundry was not blogged about. No body dared say out loud what we wrote. That defendants were excessively punished simply for electing a trial instead of rolling over and fetching at the State's behest. That Broward Judges were rude, mean, nasty, belligerent, and demeaning to lawyers from Dade County. 

No one wrote about the ones who wandered in at 11 and left at 2 pm and berated lawyers for not being ready when they just took up space and swilled cafe con leche while eating pastelitos and avoiding real work. 

Then we came along and changed all that. And we learned somethings along the way. And we were humbled to serve and announce the departures of friends and colleagues, from the REGJB, from work, and from these earthly bounds. People congregated online to wish friends goodbye, or to remember a colleague. It is still the most serious and difficult service we provide. 

Within weeks we were confronted by the type of ethical conundrums that are taught to journalism majors. We had info, scoops, and what obligations did we have to source our stories like Woodward and Bernstein and Ovalle? 

Somethings have changed, but there is not a week that goes by where we are not confronted with an email or pending comment that requires thought and introspection. Mostly we have gotten it right and write. And sometimes we have gotten it wrong, but the difference is we admit our mistakes, unlike ... well if you read the blog, then you know who. 

K

In answer to our question this past weekend about the origins and etymology of the use of K as an abbreviation for the prosecution/state- an alert reader sent us this: 

 Anonymous said...

K is for King because, back in the old times, the king was the state.
KNP = State nolle prosse. Still in use.
R&R K = Reset and renotify State = Continuance charged to the state.

Monday, January 16, 2023 1:42:00 AM

The best part about the comment is that someone saw fit at 1:42 in the morning to write a response.