To replace John Murphy:

Former ASA Andy Neman’s employment discrimination suit against Harold Pryor is still chugging along before Michael Robinson, with a trial date looming.

Head over to the Broward Clerk’s website for the complaint and other documents, under case number CACE22015157.

Of particular interest, the deposition transcripts of Andy, Harold, Regina Faulk, Neva Rainford-Smith, Stephanie Newman, and filed separately, Jeff Marcus, also at the Clerk’s website …

COMING SOON – BIG BONUS BRENDA!

BROWARD SOE

*Stark v. Clermont, County Group 10, November runoff …

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BROWARD SOE RESULTS

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Polls close at 7:00 PM tonight. Early voting tallies typically post shortly thereafter, on the Broward SOE website.

The courthouse races to watch:

JUDICIAL RACES CIRCUIT:

Arguelles, Christina Grace vs. Phillips, Carol-Lisa

Chaves Sanz, Andres vs. Marra, Jessica Maureen
(Andres Chaves Sanz’s name will not appear on the ballot as a Write-In Candidate – race to be determined in November due to Write-in status of opponent)

Moon, Stefanie C vs. Weekes, John “Johnny”

JUDICIAL RACES COUNTY:

Kathleen Mary “Katie” McHugh vs. Scott Russell Shapiro

Alejandro “Alex” Arreaza vs. Woody Clermont vs. Samuel Ford Stark

Kathleen Elaine Angione vs. Joseph Zager

Corey Brian Friedman vs. Tamar Hamilton

Emilio “Emi” Benitez vs. Lauren Nichole Peffer

SHERIFF:

Steven Andrew Geller
David Howard
Alvin Pollock
Gregory Tony
Charles Edward Whatley

CLERK OF COURT:

Annette R Daniels
Brenda D. Forman
Charles Freddrick Hall Jr.

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OPINION

Hall, 60, of Fort Lauderdale, joined the U.S. Army after he graduated from McArthur High School in 1982 …

Hall is endorsed by the Broward Young Democrats, the Dolphin Democrats and the Broward County Democratic Black Caucus …

As clerk, Hall said, he would expand the use of technology, brighten up a drab jury-selection room, and strengthen hiring practices to lessen the reliance on temporary or part-time workers. He said he would not play favorites as the incumbent does …

Forman’s eight-year tenure is marked by a lack of professionalism and bizarre incidents, such as her request that she be called “Madam Clerk,” according to subordinates. Her latest controversy was that she fired Daniels, a clerk’s administrative assistant, when Daniels announced that she would run for clerk …

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SS – Broward prosecutor’s employee charged with exploiting the elderly

COMING SOON – Gary Farmer’s late starts, Fridays, and you …

The term “social worker” is defined in various ways.

Oxford Languages defines it as “a person whose job is to help people in a particular area who have social disadvantages or personal problems.”

Cambridge Dictionary describes a social worker as “a person who is trained to help people who are at a mental, physical, economic, or social disadvantage.“

The ABA defines a judge as:

“Judges are like umpires in baseball or referees in football or basketball. Their role is to see that the rules of court procedures are followed by both sides. Like the ump, they call ’em as they see ’em, according to the facts and law—without regard to which side is popular (no home field advantage), without regard to who is “favored,” without regard for what the spectators want, and without regard to whether the judge agrees with the law.“

In Florida, can a judge be both judge and “social worker” in either a therapeutic setting like Drug or Mental Health Court, or in an adversarial criminal trial division?

One Broward judge with a reputation for leniency, Gary Farmer, thinks the answer is yes.

Presiding over everything from forcible felonies and sex offenses to simple drug possession and felony driving charges in Broward circuit court criminal trial Division FO, Farmer trumpets judicial social worker status on Threads:

The above “currently a social worker with a robe & gavel” is linked through the @garynole tag on Instagram:

Is Gary correct that post-onset Drug War trial court judges are in line with social workers, presumably trying to help defendants, alleged victims, and other litigants? Can defendants and victims even be helped at the same time in an adversarial system? Or is Ron Desantis led Florida the wrong place and wrong time for what would be categorized as activist, sympathetic judges? And while a defense attorney with a drug-sick and possession-charged client may want a social worker/judge on the bench, would he or she also want the same judge on a child victim molestation trial, or any type of vulnerable victim case? And what should the State’s position be in all this?

YOU MAKE THE CALL!