THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL
Blogs exert influence on court system
by Julie Kay/Staff Reporter
November 26, 2007
Copyright 2007 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1195466653486
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - In May, Dale Ross, chief judge for the Florida circuit court in Broward County for 16 years, stepped down following a year of embarrassing scandals, gaffes and bad behavior by his judges.
Although pressure was building for Ross to resign for years, many legal observers say it would not have happened if not for the new Broward courthouse blog, JAABlog.
That blog hammered Ross on a daily basis and reported on such incidents as a judge arrested for smoking pot in a park, another judge making an off-color sexual remark and another judge allegedly taking a loan from a defense lawyer appearing before him.
The JAABlog was started in August 2006 by a group of criminal defense lawyers fed up with the way things were being run in the Broward courthouse. They believed that it operated like a "good 'ol boys network" rather than the second-largest county court in Florida...
by Julie Kay/Staff Reporter
November 26, 2007
Copyright 2007 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.
http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1195466653486
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - In May, Dale Ross, chief judge for the Florida circuit court in Broward County for 16 years, stepped down following a year of embarrassing scandals, gaffes and bad behavior by his judges.
Although pressure was building for Ross to resign for years, many legal observers say it would not have happened if not for the new Broward courthouse blog, JAABlog.
That blog hammered Ross on a daily basis and reported on such incidents as a judge arrested for smoking pot in a park, another judge making an off-color sexual remark and another judge allegedly taking a loan from a defense lawyer appearing before him.
The JAABlog was started in August 2006 by a group of criminal defense lawyers fed up with the way things were being run in the Broward courthouse. They believed that it operated like a "good 'ol boys network" rather than the second-largest county court in Florida...
Judges have been using sniper tactics for many years. Look at Ross and cronies and the way once they identified you all hell broke loose with your practice, your cases and in some cases your more personal life. It once was a tight nit group of political operatives with the same agendas. This would usually follow the announcement of someone seeking a judicial position either through an elected or appointed post when it was not done without prior consent and the rather extra judicial manipulation of Ross and buddies and a verbal oath of loyalty to the same people. Times have in deed changed with the decline of the old crony/political favor system and the dissolution of appointed counsel and judges now find themselves with few cards to play the game as it had been played for many years (with them holding all the cards). Not that they won't be able to still find the occasional pawn to do their bidding when they find themselves under attack, but the numbers of likely candidates in a time of dwindling resources and zero judicial input into case assignments spells eventual disaster for a system that is outdated and fundamentally flawed and could only be implemented when judges exercised complete control. That time has thankfully passed and they will have to modify their behavior and political aspirations to follow suit if they don't want to be challenged when their time comes (and it will happen, even in Broward). This shift of values heralds a much needed return to reason and proper judicial temperament worthy of Broward's Judiciary and its Citizens and turns its back on the kind of political patronage that once carried the day.
What's changed? Tobin seems impotent and cowed by the split in the judges. Sadly, he probably won't accomplish anything before 2009. Maybe it's asking too much for him to do anything anyway. The rot of the last 20 years is hard to shake, particularly by Tobin who was after all, one of them. Maybe a bright young star will emerge in '09 who has the brains and strength and courage to make reforms. We'll see.
I think we're going to see an event that may very well take it out of their hands anyway. Been a long time coming, but the boot will be swift.
"Although pressure was building for Ross to resign for years, many legal observers say it would not have happened if not for the new Broward courthouse blog, JAA Blog."
Yet the judges voted him in year after year. What does that say about them?
The thinking ability demonstrated by Michael Kaplan hopefully will place him on the fast track one day for Chief Judge after Tobin's tenure. In the meantime, give Tobin and crew a chance to clear the obstacle's.
make sure to remind him you get 120 BCJ next time you have a 3rd dui with an extended hospitalization before him.
Rumpole did a great thing getting daycare in Miami. How come no one talks about this in Broward?
can u imagine that judges don't like snipers taking shots at them. if lawyers didn't do it fro a snipers position the judges would surely hit them with the big artillery if they new where that sniper was. i have seen what judges do to those they wish to take out. there must have been a time when we had judges that believed in justice. once up on a time i believed in our system but if u get caught up in our system u can't tell if u are in the USA or mexico. good luck and i hope u have something to offer the judge
Broward's more like Stalinist Russia
"if u get caught up in our system u can't tell if u are in the USA or mexico"
thanks Comrade Satz
Thank goodness for those who care enough for our system of justice that they continue to speak their minds. Any change from the present status quo will hopefully beat a path to progress by continued growth in a direction that precludes behavior that has proven to be decremental. Essentially, ethical consideration must be the goal to achieve advancement.
Michael Kaplan is the genuine article! Far different from Tobin!
It sure would be much less problematic if judges in Broward would adhere to the principles of some of that.
Michael Kaplan possesses some of the same fine qualities as his father. Neither are without fault, as with any of us, but they work hard at applying the law equally and in a judicial manner that should serve as examples to some of the others. It's the character they bring to the job that sets them apart as good arbiters.
Blogs are the communication tool of the future. Rapid exchange of ideas and attitudes can and will facilitate change at a far more rapid pace than bureaucracies. Some good points though.
Far more interesting I think is the mindset of certain judges to perceive that they are the subjects of sniper attacks. What does that say about where that analogy originates? There are some weird people out there if they think like that. Healthy criticism to be perceived so inappropriately to begin with indicates a certain paranoia or at least a slight persecution complex. Lighten up, or light up, and bring some answers to the equation!
I shall return! Honest, I will! You don't believe me? I will! I'll show you!Stop laughing! C'mon, quit it. Please?
maybe someone should pull the stats and see how many defendants (other than the billionaire's kid) got 120-day sentences on a nasty felony DUI? seems to me that people without the last name "huizenga" go to PRISON on this charge--they don't get the benefit of a short jail stint.
equal application of the law? i don't think so.
I'll get pumped again and show you who's the boss. I haven't mucked up things enough. I need more time to complete my mission. I still have a vision of world wide domination that's served me well until now and when I come back I'll show you just how able an administrator I am. Until then I'm going to leave it in the hands of the usurpers to do with it what they will. But, you'll see in the end.
It wasn't a good ole boy's network. Honest, we just ran things with the iron fist that was necessary to keep fellow judges, attorneys, and political rivals under our thumbs and within our dominion of influence and control. Look at what has happened now. The entire judiciary is falling apart. Maybe now you won't think I did such a bad job.
LOL. I WANT MY PORTRAITS PAINTED IN RIGHT PROFILE AND MY HAND APPEARING INSIDE MY VEST. IT'S 1789 AND I CAN DO ANYTHING I LIKE. I HAVEN'T MET MY WATERLOO YET!
funny, but sadly none of you have a vote, bye bye vicD
I thought things were bad down here!
BACKWARDS? NOT ONE STEP. NOT EVEN TO GAIN MOMENTUM.
"It's like being shot by a sniper - you don't know where the shot is coming from and you don't know what the motivation is," Adler said."
IT'S ABOUT HYPOCRISY, RACISM, AND DOUBLE STANDARDS YOU MORON
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - In May, Dale Ross, chief judge for the Florida circuit court in Broward County for 16 years, stepped down following a year of embarrassing scandals, gaffes and bad behavior by his judges.
Although pressure was building for Ross to resign for years, many legal observers say it would not have happened if not for the new Broward courthouse blog, JAABlog.
That blog hammered Ross on a daily basis and reported on such incidents as a judge arrested for smoking pot in a park, another judge making an off-color sexual remark and another judge allegedly taking a loan from a defense lawyer appearing before him.
The JAABlog was started in August 2006 by a group of criminal defense lawyers fed up with the way things were being run in the Broward courthouse. They believed that it operated like a "good 'ol boys network" rather than the second-largest county court in Florida...
The blog's founders include criminal defense attorney Bill Gelin of Tribune Legal Services in Fort Lauderdale and assistant federal public defenders Brian Reidy and Vivian Gariboldi.
"I have strong feelings about what is going on in Broward," Gelin said. "People are upset about the ways things are being done in the criminal justice system. So we formed a group and then thought, 'Why not have a blog?' "
Ross declined to comment.
Sniper shots?
Supporters credit the blogs with providing valuable information about the inner workings of the court system, and bringing change. Critics counter that the blogs can be venues for inaccurate information and unsubstantiated cheap shots.
"The blog absolutely effectuated change," said Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein. "There is no question in my mind that it had a great deal to do with the toppling of the past judicial administration."
Russell Adler, a partner at Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler in Fort Lauderdale, noted that "[s]ince a lot of it is posted anonymously, it gives people the ability to fabricate things and state things that are not true.
"It's like being shot by a sniper - you don't know where the shot is coming from and you don't know what the motivation is," Adler said.
The Broward blog is one of a handful of legal blogs that have started in South Florida in the past two years that have shone a spotlight on the justice system.
Justice Building Blog is anonymous and written by a Miami criminal defense attorney who calls himself "Rumpole of the Bailey."
South Florida Lawyers, started anonymously a month ago, covers civil law in the southern part of the state. The Southern District of Florida blog is run by David O. Markus, a prominent Miami criminal defense attorney and president of the Miami chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
While the Southern District of Florida and South Florida Lawyers blogs are intended to share discourse and aggregate newspaper stories, the JAA Blog and the Justice Building Blog are clearly intended to make waves.
"People underestimate the impact of the Justice Building Blog, but I believe that every state court judge, particularly criminal, reads it routinely as well as most of the practitioners," said Brian Tannebaum, a defense lawyer at Tannebaum Weiss in Miami.
"There are a lot of things that happen in the building that people didn't know about. I think it's had a huge impact on the way people operate in the criminal courthouse. I think blogs in general have had a huge impact on the way that our system operates," Tannebaum said. "They can spread rumors, they can relay information that people otherwise may not have known."
The downside to the blogs, say readers, is that anonymous responders post information about judges routinely not showing up for work, judges and lawyers having affairs with each other and other salacious rumors.
Moderating movement
The JAA Blog is not moderated and anyone can post any comment. The anonymous author of the Justice Building Blog recently began moderating the comments section and bans personal rumors and attacks from his blog.
"I think it would have a lot more credibility if you had to register your name. Right now, it's a tremendous catalyst for a lot of controversy that didn't exist before," Adler said.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Leonard Glick said he reads the Justice Building Blog "two to three times a day" and sometimes writes in.
"I think it's an interesting exchange of ideas," he said. "Some people spoil things by posting juvenile and hurtful things. But it's not totally a gossip mill. There are elements of important ideas."
In an e-mail response to questions, "Rumpole" took direct responsibility for two changes: helping to secure a daycare room for children at the Miami criminal courthouse for defendants to use, and causing judges to rethink their position of not allowing continuances at "soundings" or calendar calls held a week before trial.
Look who works for Adler:
http://rra-law.com/padowitz.asp
How come the fancy firm didn't make Kenny take down his tacky site?
http://www.kenpadowitz.com/
here are some answers for u. don't seal investigations on judges, have polygraphs and drug test for them. stop slapping them on the hand and put them in jail and like wise for prosecutors. u know they break the rules to try and put people behind bars. that's criminal. put pressure on them to follow the rules GOD set down for judges to follow. what happened to justice and the right thing. can't find it in our systyem.
Nobody cares what Adler has to say. The only thing missing was which judge called and asked him to give a statement on their behalf. Can you guess which judge? 2 to 1 its Speckels.
Padowitz still trying to gain brownie points by sticking his two cents in. It hasn't gotten him anywhere yet, but keep beating the mule. Who knows, maybe one day you'll succeed. I doubt it, but keep trying. By the way, really like your website. You're a dying breed.
It's truly one of the most narcissistic sites I've ever seen. This guy has a really warped perception of himself. Must have gone to Glamor Shots for his close up. What drives this guy? Instead of wanting to be a judge so badly, he should open a bagel shop with a name like Padowitz ala Flakowitz! You've gotta post his website again for those that haven't seen it. He probably thinks it's going to launch him to instant stardom!
I have represented three that I can recall infront of him who got smaller sentences. It wasnt easy but after an extended sentencing hearing it occurred. Oh yeah, and my clients had neither a pot to pee in, or a window to throw it out of.
Robert Buschel works there too you know.
http://rra-law.com/buschel.asp
It's about truthfulness in the courts.
It's about bias and prejudicial treatment.
It's about deception and lying, and not doing their job!
it's about judges policing judges, no one holds them in ck for their actions. do u know what it takes to get a written spanking for one of these guys, most people can't fathom the things that go on in court rooms. or when they are not in the court room. if we do not have an effective ck and balances they will continue to do what they want, just like the prosecutors or ross who hides behind the curtain waiting for his pension