CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JURY TRIAL REPORT 2022 BY JUDGE

The Cafe is open for business. The closure seems most certainly not Health Department related.

If only Building Manager Brenda Kirk would answer her emails, the mystery could be solved …

Should Judges Seek Reelection Knowing They Can’t Finish The Term?

Judges who reach the age of 75 must retire.

The Governor picks their replacements.

Republican appointed judges probably won’t be concerned.

But does it make any difference for judges who have won elections in the past by building trust and community relationships in progressive, minority-majority Broward County?

In those cases, should the ongoing Ron Desantis led culture wars, and his successor’s likely adherence to the same, play a role?

Or is concern over the rightward shift of the judiciary from the U.S. Supreme Court on down misplaced?

Should judges consider all factors when weighing a run, or simply their own desires?

YOU MAKE THE CALL!

BACDL email:

The Brian Reidy “Give Back” Award

*UPDATE* – Is the cafe closure due to a building related issue?

That’s the rumor.

Of course, transparency concerns are once again at play, so please post a comment if you have any additional information.

The following emails were sent after our initial post this morning, and have yet to be returned as of 11:43 AM:

10:45 AM email to Building Manager Brenda Kirk:

“Is this is a building related issue?“

9:03 AM email to Brenda Kirk:

“(C)alling back to get the name and number of the supervisor you mentioned (we) needed to speak with to find out whether or not the cafe closure is Health Department related … “

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It’s bring your own coffee week at the central courthouse:

Brenda Kirk, when asked moments ago whether or not the issue is Health Department related, stated she could not speak on that issue, and directed us to contact her supervisor …

We’re told the long awaited plan to reassign the North Wing felony court white-shirted bailiffs to lower risk placements in the new courthouse tower will be implemented on Monday.

Essentially, all the white-shirts will be reassigned to county court and civil divisions, and the high-risk North Wing courtrooms will only be staffed by armed green-shirts going forward.

Judges are rumored to be trying to save some of their long standing bailiffs, but the prediction seems to be that the North Wing will be turning all green starting next week …

SS – Should buildings be named for living people? Broward Refines Policy

“In 2021, the County Commission backed a plan to name a courtroom at the Broward County Judicial Complex after Chief Judge Jack Tuter … “

Our post In Or Out, asking whether or not Bobby Diaz will retire or run again in 2024, sure seems to have touched a nerve. Call it a coincidence, but the anti-JAABLOG commentary is now laughably vitriolic, to levels not seen since the earliest days of blogging, when JAABLOG jump started the criminal justice and judicial accountability reform movement in Broward County.

Why it’s happening now is anyone’s guess, but one thing’s for sure: lawyers and others need to exercise their constitutional rights and run for office. Quite simply, elections, win or lose, make for better representatives and judges. There’s a reason why national office holders always have a fight on their hands, and it shouldn’t be any different at the local level, where elected officials, and judges in particular, hold even more sway over the lives of the citizenry. No one is entitled to a constitutional office, no matter how arrogant or comfortable they may have become, and if job performance isn’t up to snuff, they need a challenge. Beat them, or help them help the community they swore to serve by keeping them on their toes with a spirited campaign.

To quote Tom Petty, we won’t back down. Never have, and never will. So to all those who disagree with our position or are simply not fans of the democratic process, pour it on. In the meantime, let’s look forward to a vigorous and entertaining 2024 election season …

COMING SOON – AN FRS JUDICIAL PENSION PRIMER; WHO WANTS TO BE CLERK OF COURTS? …

Broward Congress Members’ Joint Statement on Clerk of Court’s Insensitive Social Media Post

Bobby Diaz, believed to be 69 or 70 years of age based on a Sun Sentinel article from July, 2005 (BROWARD JUDGE FINED, SUSPENDED … ), was asked minutes ago whether or not he’s retiring or running again in 2024.

The question was significantly not acknowledged, meaning County Court Judge, Group 10 may indeed be an open seat, as Diaz is rapidly approaching the State’s mandatory retirement landmark for judges, specifically his 75th birthday.

Is Diaz in or out? Will there be a coveted county court seat open in 2024? Will younger attorneys who can fulfill a full term challenge Diaz, if he runs?

Please post a comment if you have any additional information or insights. In the meantime, we’ll continue to post updates on 2024 as election season gets closer and closer …

Applications for two circuit court vacancies due March 1st, 2023:

COMING SOON – Is Patti Henning ever coming back? …