"Because I have faith in people" - that's Peter Weinstein to Bob Norman, defending his decision to keep Gisele Pollack in drug court, earlier today. The chief judge also confirmed Gisele's relapse, and stated professionals said it was ok to keep her riding herd over a bunch of druggies after incident #1. Interesting stuff, since we can remember criminal division judge Weinstein often having little faith in Defendants and their experts looking for alternative drug rehab sentences, way back when. Oh well. In any event, Gisele appears to finally be getting the long term care she deserves, while Broward's tarnished drug court limps along without a full time leader, credibility be damned ...
2014 election update - Lynn Rosenthal and Steve Feren to be challenged? No names just yet, since we took an oath. But things could get interesting soon ...
94 and there's so much more - meet Jorge Castro, born October 14th, 1919. Poor 94 year old Jorge must have mixed up his meds, since he was booked into the Broward County Jail last weekend, accused of unruly, felony level behavior. A warning to all you 70-somethings: Jorge is out and about, although Pretrial Services is keeping a watchful eye. Let's just hope they don't have cataracts too ...
Matt, Meet Tom - everyone knows Matt Destry has a real thing for collecting court costs and supervision fees, but at least he never took it as far as Pinellas County's Tom Freeman. Freeman came up with something he called "the sentencing path", recently obstructed by an appeals court. Apparently broke ass people were kept on Freeman Road longer than statutorily permitted probationary periods, in addition to sometimes being stuck in holding cells with their phones after a visit to court, encouraged to reach out and find the funds they owed from friends and family. Read all about it here, via the Tampa Bay Times.
FDMC confirmations - add Michael Entin and Jeff Harris to the First Degree Murder Club. Any others? Post a comment ...
Coming Soon - What are Bill Scherer and Peter Weinstein doing to encourage judicial diversity in Broward?; Jeff Marcus makes a molehill out of a mountain; Finkelstein v. Speiser.
FL Supreme Court: Court Interpreter crackdown
SS: Controversy erupts over 'double dipping'
SS: Broward's 'Felony Lane Gang' spreads crime across U.S. (Thanks, Mike)
SS: Want To Be A Judge? Who Do You Know? (1997)
2014 election update - Lynn Rosenthal and Steve Feren to be challenged? No names just yet, since we took an oath. But things could get interesting soon ...
94 and there's so much more - meet Jorge Castro, born October 14th, 1919. Poor 94 year old Jorge must have mixed up his meds, since he was booked into the Broward County Jail last weekend, accused of unruly, felony level behavior. A warning to all you 70-somethings: Jorge is out and about, although Pretrial Services is keeping a watchful eye. Let's just hope they don't have cataracts too ...
Matt, Meet Tom - everyone knows Matt Destry has a real thing for collecting court costs and supervision fees, but at least he never took it as far as Pinellas County's Tom Freeman. Freeman came up with something he called "the sentencing path", recently obstructed by an appeals court. Apparently broke ass people were kept on Freeman Road longer than statutorily permitted probationary periods, in addition to sometimes being stuck in holding cells with their phones after a visit to court, encouraged to reach out and find the funds they owed from friends and family. Read all about it here, via the Tampa Bay Times.
FDMC confirmations - add Michael Entin and Jeff Harris to the First Degree Murder Club. Any others? Post a comment ...
Coming Soon - What are Bill Scherer and Peter Weinstein doing to encourage judicial diversity in Broward?; Jeff Marcus makes a molehill out of a mountain; Finkelstein v. Speiser.
FL Supreme Court: Court Interpreter crackdown
SS: Controversy erupts over 'double dipping'
SS: Broward's 'Felony Lane Gang' spreads crime across U.S. (Thanks, Mike)
SS: Want To Be A Judge? Who Do You Know? (1997)