FRED GRIMM ON DALE ROSS
Top judge gets caught in a blogjam
BY FRED GRIMM
fgrimm@MiamiHerald.com
May 15, 2007
The chief-judge-for-life doesn't much like the criticism of his regime that's busting out in the blogosphere.
Undermines the judiciary, Broward Chief Judge Dale Ross complained. ''There's nothing constructive offered,'' he told The Miami Herald's Jennifer Lebovich.
The judge's words were reminiscent of his letter published in The Herald last September complaining that one of my columns was undermining his judiciary.
''If the intent of The Miami Herald is to erode the public trust and confidence in the court system, it has done a good job,'' the judge wrote.
I had called the Broward judiciary a cabal of ''bubba judges'' who maintained a good-ol'-boy system of cronyism usually associated with courthouses in unsophisticated rural backwaters.
UNKIND CUTS
And now the chief-bubba-for-life is catching hell in the new media. A blog posted by a group called the Justice Advocacy Association of Broward (JAABlog.jaablaw.com) has been posting similarly unkind comments about the perpetual Ross regime.
William Gelin, one of the architects of the blog, talked Monday of the complaints blogged against a system Ross has overseen since Feb. 1, 1991: That Broward judges are rarely opposed. Lawyers know that if they run against a sitting judge -- no matter how incompetent or controversial -- there will be hell to pay.
And that Broward judges have been able to enrich their special friends with special-defender appointments.
The Legislature, sick of the scandal, just voted to establish judge-immune independent special-defender offices.
The blog describes a system in which Ross keeps his job by protecting sitting judges and intimidating potential opponents.
But the JAABlog sounds like stuff that's been festering in the old media since the Ross regime took hold. In 1996, The Miami Herald's Dan Christensen, then with The Daily Business Review, wrote, 'Ross' tenure has been marked by an apparent tendency to use his position for the benefit of his friends and the detriment of his adversaries.''
The Miami Herald has written much about Broward's peculiarly anti-democratic judicial elections. ''The unwritten rule,'' I called it in 2002, that kept incumbents from suffering the inconvenience of actual opponents.
LUCRATIVE WORK
In 2000, The Miami Herald's Larry Lebowitz and Sabrina Miller wrote that Ross' judges were ``doling out millions . . . each year to a select group of private lawyers hired to represent poor people who can't afford their own attorneys.''
We reported that the 20 best-paid appointees, some of whom were making $100,000 a year, included the son of a judge, the sister-in-law of a judge, the husband of a judge, and the son-in-law of a retired judge.
Last year, The Herald's Amy Sherman and Melissa Sanchez reported that Broward judges were flouting a 2004 state law aimed at ridding the defender system of such cronyism.
Along the way, the Daily Business Review, New Times and the Sun-Sentinel reported similar scandals that are now echoing in the blogosphere.
The old media has been writing for years how Ross has protected judges given to bizarre, racist, sexist behavior in the courtroom. But Ross, we've noticed, is still chief judge.
Gelin has courage. His blog is the talk of the courthouse. But new media, old media, no matter.
Dale Ross is media-proof. The bubba-in-chief is forever.
Copyright 2007 Miami Herald Media Co.
All Rights Reserved
Too bad for Dale that non-lawyers have full free speech rights. He can't control everything.
Grimm is dead on and it sucks. Florida is stuck with Dale forever because Broward judges are so afraid of this guy. Go against Dale and you might get an opponent next time, you might get transferred to a lousy division (where you have to work all day), or political favors for you and your family won't be forthcoming any longer.
Is there not a judge among them with courage or honor or sense of conviction strong enough to stop this man and his cronys? SHAME SHAME SHAME.
It's time to get to the bottom of the wheel scandal once and for all. Since money is involved, it's a lot worse than the secret docket scandal. Should the FBI or FDLE be called in?
Boss Hog has to go! Ross' legacy is going to rub off on his daughter and how she got to be a judge. Just wait, the entire JNC process will come under scrutiny and should. These people have enriched themselves at the public expense and the public is waking up to this travesty. And they say they're dispensing justice. Broward isn't their private pig trough.
Great article Mr. Grimm. However, the circumstances are much more grim than that which you elucidate. What Ross and his cronies have done to this circuit is beyond repair. It filters down to the very foundations of our system of justice. He pulls the same pat excuses out every time he comes under pressure. It's incumbent on the press to expose all the dirty dealings he's been involved in over the years. How many times are the people of Broward going to hear the same pathetic excuses before something is done to stem this flow of corruption? I applaud the media for finally taking a position against this monster. He's made a mockery of justice to suit himself, his daughter and a handful of others to stay in office and now he must go for the sake of decency if we are to save any shred of honor remaining. I call for an all out investigation by the authorities into this den of iniquity to cleanse that which has infected our judiciary with the very worst kind of disease, using their positions to promote their own aims.
I wondered what happened to Baby Zeidwig? This wheel scandal is going to rock this courthouse to its core. These people are OUT OF CONTROL. We need an OPERATION COURTROOM here in Broward. How long can the State stand by and allow this to continue?
I'll say it again - This personal attack on a judge's kid is INAPPROPRIATE. This stuff on Gary, Liz, etc. has no business creeping into this. Stacy Ross is a judge, a PUBLIC OFFICIAL, who is open to criticism and critique. Stop this crap on innocent parties who are great lawyers just doing their job or this blog will have to become moderated, which really defeats the point.
Ross' usual phrase "Undermining the Judiciary and the Public Confidence in our System of Justice" really means anything that gets in the way of his own particular brand of nepotism, cronieism, unfair and bias practices. This man is a joke to everything that represents justice.
Follow the money...
An investigation into the wheel will blow this guy and his cronies out of the water. It's not going to bode well for Ross when that comes into the light. I wonder how he'll rationalize that as undermining the confidence in the judiciary.
No excuse will suffice this time.
Judges involved in doling out cases to kin and friends serving on their reelection committees are going to be viewed very harshly by the public and will lead to real concrete change in this messed up circuit. Ross' support will wash out from underneath him.
Its all a matter of public record too!
Ross' ship is listing badly. How many life boats are on board?
His Judiciary? Where does this creep get off calling it his judiciary?
Bill havent you been the one all along saying you could show how judges kids were getting too many cases outside the wheel in juvi. Seems a little late to close that door?
Blub, Blub, Blub. I can hear the air escaping through the hull. Certian members of our judiciary didn't think this would come up, like something bad you ate for lunch. Again and Again.
slightly off topic, but ARREST SHEETS for past 5 days... anyone? anyone? Bueller?
It's a door that needs to be kicked open to disclose this nepotism.
Sounds like you've got big problems in Broward. Great blog.
I am in total agreement with Fred Grimm's Miami Herald article about the court system. The judges do not always read and look at the information presented in the case. Many times they just put their hand up and do not want to hear the circumstantial evidence. I am still battling my ex-husband 2 years after a divorce because he will not let go of the situation and the only way he deals with things is to be charming and manipulative until he gets what he wants. He is using his own daughter to get what he wants which is unsupervised visitation. He ran and hid 21 months ago due to abusing this child but yet the judges state "the books behind them tell them that they need to establish a bond between the child and both parents." It didn't matter that he abused her weekend after weekend, a court-order for protection was in place and he could lie profusely on motions sent to court with his signature. He is not held accountable and the courts are not questioning him and looking at the reasons why he ran for a long period of time. However; all the courts know is that he should be allowed to see her even though her life would be in danger. Currently, he has established supervised visitation but we will be returning to court where the judge will probably tell him regardless of the welfare of the child that he can do whatever he wants and see her unsupervised. If this occurs, my child will continue to be abused or her life endanger where she could be a death statistic in the state. I appreciate Fred Grimm bringing his information out in the open so the public is able to see what goes on in the courts and how much red tape and politics are involved. Until laws and the courts change many lives will be affected.
I just checked out this blog. Can't relate to a lot of the criminal stuff, since this comprises only a small percentage of my practice, but I am glad to be kept informed of what is going on the other side of the courthouse. I have been observing for years that the arrogance of the Broward County Courthouse begins at the front door. The ridiculous prices for parking and the total lack of concern for getting the general public and their lawyers to court in a reasonably efficient manner and without costing the average Joe a day and a half's pay to park shows Broward Court System's true colors. Florida guarantees Access to Courts. Driving around for one hour looking for a parking space and then spending 30 dollars to park just to get inside and attend a 5 to 10 minute hearing is hardly reasonable access to the courts. Standing outside in the sun, rain and/or wind because we have too few people assisting the lines at the metal detectors reminds me each day how little the court system cares about the public or their lawyers. I cringe when I have to charge parking to clients. I cringe even more when I see single mothers lined up on Monday to file restraining orders or to attend a hearing to get child support, spending their last dollars on parking and taking prescious time from work. Very often, they go into the courthouse just to sit and wait for judges who do not show up on time. I know that the long lines and lack of parking cannot be blamed completely on the courthouse administration, but reasonable alternatives need to be explored. Is there no other building in Broward County where restraining orders can be filed? (or where Probate work can be done?) Can't 1 or 2 people be placed outside to assist in making the long lines go faster (giving boxes out to everyone to empty their pockets even before getting to the metal detectors?) The stress levels for attorneys and clients would diminish if we could be more efficient in getting access to the courthouse.
I agree with Mary Cantwell. The whole system is still run like Broward is still some backwater. Guess what, it's not.
I don't know if Ross deserves all the blame, but he really ought to address the problems here that are so obvious to so many, both Civil and Criminal.
WHERE ARE THE ARREST SHEETS, PLEASE??
Now this is RACIST! Forget NHI
Winfrey wows grads
More than 30,000 people crowded onto the campus at Howard University in Washington for the weekend's graduation ceremony.
That's what happens when Oprah Winfrey delivers the commencement address.
She did not disappoint. "My integrity is not for sale, and neither is yours," Winfrey told the cheering crowd. "Do not be a slave to any form of selling out."
The talk-show titan recalled her start at a TV station in Baltimore where management told her she was "too black" and "too emotional."
They urged her to change her name to something more conventional, but she refused.
Winfrey said that when she was growing up in Mississippi in the 1950s, her grandmother wished that some day the girl would "get some good white folks" to work for.
"I regret that she didn't live past 1963," Winfrey said.
"And see that I did get some really good white folks -- working for me."
Grimm says in the article:
"We reported that the 20 best-paid appointees, some of whom were making $100,000 a year, included the son of a judge, the sister-in-law of a judge, the husband of a judge, and the son-in-law of a retired judge."
Does anyone know who the 20 best paid people were?
I totally agree with you and as a single mom I am college educated and currently working towards my Master's in Leadership Education. I empathize with those single mothers who spend their last dime for ridiculous things to get their basic needs met while not being able to spend the money on food and other items for their children. I am forever grateful to have the things I have but the courts need to learn how to appropriate cases instead of making excuses for repeat offenders in child support cases and restraining orders. I placed a court order for protection under my daughter's name but sat and waited a good 4 hours after leaving work for a half day as a teacher. They had to dismiss the court order because of lack of service because they couldn't find him up to the court case two weeks later. In other words, too bad we couldn't find him but was told I could come back every two weeks to refill out the paperwork. What a joke!
If you are guilty of anything in the state of Florida and are in a position of power the rules are different. They can do as they please and are not bound by the law. When the courts do not hold an individual liable for being untruthful on court documents such as motions and they sign their name, the individual can continue the erratic and unethical behaviors. Therefore, the powers-that-be can do as they please and act whatever way they fill is appropriate according to their own rules but not the rules of the rest of society.
Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man
Words and Music by Gram Parsons and Roger McGuinn
He's a drug store truck drivin' man
He's the head of the Ku Klux Klan
When summer rolls around
He'll be lucky if he's not in town
Well, he's got him a house on the hill
He plays country records till you've had your fill
He's a fireman's friend he's an all night DJ
But he sure does think different from the records he plays
He's a drug store truck drivin' man
He's the head of the Ku Klux Klan
When summer rolls around
He'll be lucky if he's not in town
Well, he don't like the young folks I know
He told me one night on his radio show
He's got him a medal he won in the War
It weighs five-hundred pounds and it sleeps on his floor
He's a drug store truck drivin' man
He's the head of the Ku Klux Klan
When summer rolls around
He'll be lucky if he's not in town
He's been like a father to me
He's the only DJ you can hear after three
I'm an all night musician in a rock and roll band
And why he don't like me I can't understand
He's a drug store truck drivin' man
He's the head of the Ku Klux Klan
When summer rolls around
He'll be lucky if he's not in town
When summer rolls around
He'll be lucky if he's not in town
Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother
by Jerry Jeff Walker
He was born in Oklahoma,
His wife's name's Betty Lou Thelma Liz
And he's not responsible for what he's doing
Cause his mother made him what he is.
And it's up against the wall Redneck Mother,
Mother, who has raised her son so well.
He's thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk.
Just kicking hippies asses and raising hell.
Sure does like his Falstaff beer,
Likes to chase it down with that Wild Turkey liquor;
Drives a fifty-seven GMC pickup truck;
He's got a gun rack; "Goat ropers need love, too" sticker
And it's up against the wall Redneck Mother,
Mother, who has raised her son so well.
He's thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk.
Just kicking hippies asses and raising hell.
Well,
M is for the mudflaps you give me for my pickup truck
O is for the Oil I put on my hair
T is for T-bird
H is for Haggard
E is for eggs, and
R is for REDNECK.
Up against the wall Redneck Mother,
Mother, who has raised her son so well.
He's thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk.
Kicking hippies asses and raising hell.
He's up against the wall Redneck Mother,
Mother, who has raised her son so well.
He's thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk.
Just kicking hippies asses and raising hell.
will you please post the arrest sheets for 5-11 to 5-14.
Is there a direct link???
will you please post the arrest sheets for 5-11 to 5-14.
Is there a direct link??? If so, can you please post it.
thanks and keep up the good work.
Michelle,
Everything you have stated I can relate to ... In 7 years I have spent close to 75k on attorneys in this court system to protect my son from his father who has abused him... in Broward County, justice is not based upon LAW it is based upon who you know (which I only just discovered). It is a SHAME that certain family Court Judges view the rights of parents over the rights of children... they do not even review the evidence that is placed before them (even with convictions of Domestic Battery).
How about certain family court judges taking your kids away for drug use who are using drugs themselves?
"We reported that the 20 best-paid appointees, some of whom were making $100,000 a year, included the son of a judge, the sister-in-law of a judge, the husband of a judge, and the son-in-law of a retired judge."
Brad Collins, Wendy Seidlin, I think either Robert Trachman or Mike Robinson, Steve Hammer
The laywer fees do not suprise me and many cases like ours continue in the courts. The elder judges who have been in the system are already invested in the Broward County judicial process and are not accountable. I feel change needs to take place and immediately to stop the pain and suffering children go through. I was going to write a petition and have over a hundred signatures hand-delivered to the Broward County courthouse powers-that-be and Tallahassee officials. If Charlie Christ is interested in less child abuse and more accountability I would like to see him overhaul the laws that no longer work.