I'm sorry Your Honor, but I must respectfully disagree ...No interviews this week- despite strong rumours to the contrary, JNC chair Jamie Finizio's office confirmed via email late in the day Monday that all interviews for the current open seat were completed June 3rd. It looks like we'll have the pick six list soon though, as we're told the JNC will vote Tuesday. Stay tuned ...
Ruff Rides Again? - is Alan Ruff coming back again? If Paul Petillo has a say in the matter, it will. We've lost track of how many times this turkey has been basted (eight? nine?), but the PD's PB appellate division just may win Bruce Raticoff yet another go round. Check out Petillo'sApellant's Motion For Clarification And Rehearing, questioning the Fourth DCA's reliance on the tipsy coachman doctrine to make the most recent jury's verdict stick ...
Welcome to the blog, Katie! - we love ya, Katie, but you're getting mostly negative reviews on the whole butt slapping thing. Like it or not, you did high-five Superstar's lawyer on a job well done, which led Superstar to do what only multi-millionaire guys can do when lots of people are watching, namely slap another guy on the ass in appreciation. Oh well. The recent all-day judicial diversity training probably didn't cover lifestyles of the rich and famous, so don't take it so hard. Cultural faux-pas will happen ...
Hey iPhone users - if you happen to be one of those still stuck in the dark ages, at least go to your Settings and turn off the iMessage feature. Once you're actually sending text messages, everyone else with a modern phone will be able to reply. And by the way, JAABLOG's Anonymous Tips Box hasn't worked in a really long time either. So if you need us, send an email ...
Another reason why people like Gardiner go nowhere fast- courtesy of SDFL, here's the intro to federal judge Richard Kopf's recent blog entry entitled The best gift I ever got from a convicted killer:
If, over a long career, you sentence a lot of people to prison, several things can happen to you. Most of them are bad. Here’s a short list of some of the bad things:
* You can begin to see offenders only in numerical terms. ”What’s the base offense level, criminal history score and sentencing range? Next!”
* Unless you are very careful, you may become inured to the horrific impact that prison sentences have on offenders and their families. ”You say your parental rights will be terminated if you go to prison, well, they’ll be better off anyway.” ...
It's a lousy job ... if you do it right - Kopf's essay highlights the need for judicial rotation, and the simple fact judging your fellow humans is a super lousy job if you have the fortitude to do it right.
Think about it. The long hours due to the never ending stream of the same old boring, non-deterable offenses, lousy pay, the stress of dealing with both the inept and the much smarter than you are lawyers, media and appellate scrutiny, clueless or downright disrespectful litigants, elections every six years, a wimpy state attorney who tosses everything in your lap, and everything else you're expected to grin and bear. It's really no fun at all.
Maybe that's why some judges can be found anywhere but their courtrooms, and why others resort to humiliation tactics or form over substance procedural edicts to cope. Whatever the case may be, the genuinely good judges deserve our respect. They're the ones who can always be found in court, no matter how many Motions or 3850's are waiting in their offices. They're the ones who let you set hearings quickly and easily, and who would never impose a trial tax because you cut into their down time. They're the ones who may get cranky, but never nasty, even when dealing with problems on the home front. And they're the ones who unfortunately get dragged down by the burn-outs and neurotics, who honestly just don't seem to care about anyone but themselves ...
Hey Peter! - how about an Attorney's Lounge in the new courthouse, with computers, fax machines, and coffee? It works in Miami, afterall ...
Coming Soon: June 14th - "Hey Gene Pettis!: Just what do you plan to do about institutional racism?"; JAABLOG Names Broward's Most Inefficient Judge; Is Perjury A Crime In Bar Discipline Trials?; STATEWIDE JAABLOG.
BBeat: Alu Back In City Hall Vowing To Stay Involved
SPU gets its man: juries won't always look the other way on cop cases ...
Gossip Extra: Chad Johnson Twist - Judge Who Heard Butt Slap is Legally Blind!
Well, we were just another band out of Boston ...