NO TIES

 Once again summer is upon us, and once again, male lawyers, against all common sense, wearing overcoats and ties to court on 90 plus degree days with 10000 % humidity. 

Stop the insanity. 

The other day we saw a lawyer on zoom from a dog park, t-shirt, shorts, and sunglasses, argue a motion. 

Surely a gentleman in shirt sleeves, shined shoes, and slacks appearing in court to hear the state say "victim wants max" will not cause the judiciary to come crashing to a halt. 

This will not happen: 

"You got a summons to jury duty next week."

"Did you see on the news that lawyer in court without a tie? Obviously they don't care about court anymore, so I am not going."

Nor will this happen: 

"And in other news today, the criminal court house closed for the rest of the summer. Chief Judge Schmidlap said 'ever since we allowed lawyers to not wear ties to court for simple matters everyone stopped showing up. It's puzzling. Must be the no ties order. I'll have to rescind it." 

Or this

"The Dow dropped another thousand points today as Russia stepped up its attacks in Ukraine and threatened to invade Moldovia. 'If Lawyers in the United States don't have to wear ties to court in the summer, then Russia doesn't have to leave the Ukraine' said Russian president Vladimir Putin." 

Stop the madness. 

NO TIES

 As summer approaches, we renew our plea/rant against ties and jackets in the middle of the summer in South Florida, on a planet that is overheating. 

Zoom has shown us that lawyers can attend court virtually without the entire justice system collapsing because of a perceived lack of respect for the court. Some lawyers, like Rumpole, attend a zoom hearing in jacket and tie and shoes shined. Other lawyers attend zoom from their car in a golf shirt. 

Somehow, the dignity of the court has survived and justice marches on. 

There is NO reason to require a person, when it is 95 degrees out with 100% humidity, to trudge into a courtroom wearing a JACKET and a tie. Think about that- judges make some lawyers- not all- wear a jacket. The determining factor is the gender of the lawyer. One gender can dress in a cool and appropriate manner while still maintaining a professional look. The other gender must wear a jacket and tie. 

Does this sound reasonable to you? 

Can someone defend the current practice, because we cannot. 

MEMORIAL WEEKEND 2016

It's a three day weekend, and change is on our mind. 

There used to be no security checks at the courthouse. You could walk right in. 
But that changed. 

There used to be separate bathrooms and water fountains at the courthouses for "Coloreds and Jews", but that that changed. 

People used to smoke in the courtrooms, but that changed. 

There used to be no women or Hispanic or Asian or African-American or Haitian Judges, but that changed. 

The Champion Golfer and amazing person Gary Player has ten commandments  for life. "Change is the price of survival" is number one.  Check out his website here.  Every one of the commandments is a life lesson. 

All of these things, and many more have changed since the REGJB opened its doors circa 1962. 

There is climate change, and the first African-American president. The Soviet Union rose and fell. So did the Fourth Amendment. 
We may have our first woman president. Or our first lunatic as president (but not our first megalomaniac.) 

There's been flight, and space-flight, and landings on the Moon and Mars, and the re-paving of some streets in Hialeah. 

In the REGJB there's been Cozzoli's, The Pickle Barrel, Au Bon Pain, and now El Chapo Cafe.

And we even have Wi-Fi at our courthouse! Which means you sit staring at your device as the power bar flickers between zero and one, and nothing loads. We used to stare at Newspapers and Magazines while sipping bad black coffee and waiting for our next case. Now we stare at websites unloaded and dream of streaming Netflix while sipping bad black coffee while waiting for our next case. 

Change is everywhere. 

Except when it comes to summer and the outmoded, ridiculous, ancient, antiquated, superannuated, if not antediluvian   requirement that gentlemen lawyers wear a coat and a tie to court during the summer.  
That hasn't changed. 

Are you listening Judges Soto and Sayfie? Female lawyers used to rightfully complain that male judges had no regard or consideration for them. 

The more things change....

Enjoy your long weekend.