GONZALEZ/SEIDMAN EACH TAKE TRIPLE CROWN
Triple 1st Place Winner Julio Gonzalez with Clerk of Courts Howard Forman;
Seidman accepts his three last place awards with trademark grin
NUMBER KRUNCHER'S COUNTY CRIMINAL RANKINGS:
So someone was posting about the lack of information about our County Judges. With the Bar just giving us raw numbers and no rankings, it actually does take more than a few minutes to figure this stuff out. I do have a practice and a family as well.
But I am here to please, so here’s a full breakdown on our Criminal County Judges at the Downtown Courthouse.
These are the judges of the "there but for the grace of God go I" court, where any person in society, whether they are a billionaire or a homelesss man can realistically find themselves at one point or another. Having smart, courteous and ethical judges in County Court is certainly as important as Circuit.
So enough of the philosophy, let’s get to the beauty contest. Let’s rank our County Criminal Judges on 3 issues I care about as a practicing attorney: (1) Legal Knowledge; (2) Courtesy and Civility; and (3) Ethics and Integrity.
Legal Knowledge:
JUDGE: APPROVE/HIGHLY APPROVE DISAPPROVE
1. JULIO GONZALEZ 94% 6%
2. GARY COWART 90% 10%
3. FRED J. BERMAN 90% 10%
4. JOSEPH A. MURPHY 86% 14%
5. JOEL T. LAZARUS 85% 15%
6. GISELE POLLACK 82% 18%
7. STACY ROSS 78% 22%
8. ROBERT F. DIAZ 77% 23%
9. LEONARD FEINER 64% 36%
10. KATHLEEN IRELAND 61% 39%
11. PEGGY GEHL 60% 40%
12. GINGER LERNER-WREN 60% 40%
13. MARY RUDD ROBINSON 59% 41%
14. LEE JAY SEIDMAN 56% 44%
COURTESY AND CIVILITY:
JUDGE: APPROVE/HIGHLY APPROVE DISAPPROVE
1. JULIO GONZALEZ 96% 4%
2. GISELE POLLACK 93% 7%
3. GARY COWART 90% 10%
4. JOSEPH A. MURPHY 89% 11%
5. STACY ROSS 85% 15%
6. MARY RUDD ROBINSON 83% 17%
7. FRED J. BERMAN 82% 18%
8. PEGGY GEHL 75% 25%
9. JOEL T. LAZARUS 74% 26%
10. KATHLEEN IRELAND 72% 28%
11. GINGER LERNER-WREN 68% 32%
12. ROBERT F. DIAZ 60% 40%
13. LEONARD FEINER 36% 64%
14. LEE JAY SEIDMAN 31% 69%
ETHICS AND INTEGRITY:
1. JULIO GONZALEZ 95% 5%
2. GISELE POLLACK 92% 8%
3. FRED J. BERMAN 86% 14%
4. MARY RUDD ROBINSON 86% 14%
5. GARY COWART 85% 15%
6. STACY ROSS 85% 15%
7. JOSEPH A. MURPHY 84% 16%
8. KATHLEEN IRELAND 82% 18%
9. JOEL T. LAZARUS 80% 20%
10. GINGER LERNER-WREN 76% 24%
11. ROBERT F. DIAZ 71% 29%
12. PEGGY GEHL 71% 29%
13. LEONARD FEINER 55% 45%
14. LEE JAY SEIDMAN 39% 61%
Any surprises about our County Criminal Judges in Fort Lauderdale? Sure, probably a couple. Several judges stand out as having high overall ratings in these areas, and one that certainly deserves kudos and congratulations is Judge Julio Gonzalez.
In just a short time on the bench, Judge Gonzalez has apparently made an impression, scoring highest in all three of these categories and equally high in several others in the Bar Poll. We should all be asking ourselves why a judge who so clearly has the respect of so many that practice before him has an opponent this year.
Unfortunately, at the other end of the spectrum, one judge rated lowest in these three categories (and if you review the rest of the data in the poll, at or near the bottom in numerous other categories as well).
So that’s enough math for one night….More statistics to come in the coming days. More information about our Circuit Criminal Judges, Judicial Candidates, and the judges out at the satellites.
Number Kruncher
(photo by Mike Shein)
Wow ADJ......A triple-crown loss. Way to go.....you should be so proud....Is that why Carmel Carfaro was sniffing around looking for you today?
If I didn't hate math, I'd spend the time to figure out how many of the categories you came dead last in.
How Dumb is the Broward Bar (or how dumb are the people they listen to)?
Instead of putting the info out with a dull honest thud, they withhold it. They create fodder. Like Ross pounding his fist on the table at his famous public suicide press conference.
Hopeless.
100% agree with the last post. In Dade, their Bar Ass'n just released rankings and ratings of their judges and judicial candidates.
Short, sweet, to the point. It hits the press, gets digested and people move on.
In Broward, the Bar does a poll with 20 questions on each judge and then sends out a 120 page document.
It takes someone with some spare time to actually analyze that and bring us "news we can use" and ratings of teh judges.
Given the amount of data that needs to be reviewed, we'llbe getting number kruncher pieces for a week or longer.
He should bill the bar for his time doing what they should have done to start with.
And congratulations to Judge Gonzalez. He's a good man and great judge. Hope he creams his competition.
He's near the bottom in every category too.
Oy! Lenny!
Carmel? I heard she was sniffing around after the Spechler story (like every other reporter in town).
Say goodnight Gracie.
Sniff sniff...there can be no awards in our field...we are artists...we suffer....
ross ponded allot of things, it is a shame he didn't have a big gavel to hammer them with.
The Bar is part of the corrupt good ole boys network that brought you Ross & Co. as well as having catered to every other bag of judicial dirty tricks known to man over the last twenty years.
There's no talent or ethics involved, just greasy politics. This is the same group that gave Spechler an award, remember?
All too cozy with the manipulators to ever do the right thing and too busy trying to climb the political latter themselves. It's no wonder they don't want to format the polls in an intelligent fashion.
They're much to concerned about subjecting any judge to criticism or god forbid getting one an opponent. They are in the dissembling business, not the information business.
This guy should have been bounced a long time ago. Talk about a a judge that stinks.
Why doesn't someone run against Seidman..? Seriously. Someone, please. Anyone.
Here it comes. A-Turd is about to make his customary appearance as all the miasma comes to the surface concerning his deep feelings about Seidman. Oh, and Finkelstein, ect, ect, ect. He thinks he's the second coming when it comes to Seidman, here to save the judiciary from the monsters of the abyss.
Pollach and Gonzales could teach the rest of them a few things about a lot of things when it comes to handling cases and being good judges. Both Good people and great judges.
The rest I'm not really surprised about except that Robinson is a good judge too.
These bar polls don't really stand for much. Seidman is very efficient and a good judge as well. If you value your time and want someone that is knowledgeable about the law, he's your judge. Don't understand why he ranked so low except that the bar is playing games which is not anything new. Looks like politics at play.
Not again. Is there anybody that likes this guy? Is this the best Broward can do?
There's a couple judges that aren't smiling today. Any guesses?
S. Ross didn't do so well as her campaign manager has been spewing all over town about her being the best judge in the courthouse. What do you have to say for yourself now?
Wow -- Seidman's picture is as small as his ratings.
Ask Kulik he couldnt find anyone to run against her. Last I checked she is reelected for another 6 years that is the only thing that matters.
Maybe you should ask him to his face what he has to say about all of this. Then again, we all know no one ever does that now do they.
Diaz bottoms out? Wow, did you go to law school to avoid math or something?
He rates 20+ points higher than Seidman in legal knowledge, has approval ratings double Seidman in Civility/Courtesy, and 30+ more in integrity/ethics.
If that's "bottoming out", then what are Seidman's ratings? Proof that even when you hit the bottom of the barrel, you can lift up the barrel and find something lower underneath??
But then again, we all know who anti-Diaz poster is anyway. Keep Deflecting midget cowboy. Keep deflecting.
Can anyone imagine Seidman not getting at least one opponent in 2010. He clearly has lost the respect of a majority of the people responding to the Bar poll.
If you think about it, his ratings would be even lower if he and his wife (and Lee Jeff Seidashuk) didn't give him "HIGHLY APPROVE" for everything.
Feiner permanently resides in the hovels and slums of the rankings. Too bad the PD didn't burn him with the audiotapes from his last tirade that preceded his voluntary softshoe into the netherworld of civil. Maybe he can lunch with the Chief Judge at Chuck's like other recently banished pariahs to help his self-esteem.
HE VALUES HIS CASE COUNT TO THE POINT DEFENDANTS DON'T THINK THEY GET DUE PROCESS. HE SCARES THE CRUD OUT OF THEM SO THEY PLEA EVERYTIME.
Thanks for the info. I couldn't read the cryptic crap the Bar put out. Why do they put out stuff you can't make heads nor tails of? Any idea? I think Seidman is a good judge so there are a number of judges that really don't fit the numbers.
Congratulations to Julio Gonzalez. Having seen him working the rooms on the campaign trail and talked to those that practice in front of him, he is clearly someone worthy of respect.
Since he has an opponent, let's compare their ratings.....
Julio Gonzalez rates between a 94% and 96% approval in legal knowledge, courtesy/civility and integrity ethics.
How about his opponent, Ellen Feld. She's relatively known in the community, especially after running against Gisele Pollack (and campaigning in a negative fashion agaisnt Judge Pollack).
ELLEN FELD:
Legal Knowledge: ONLY 33% Approve/Highly Approve -- 67% DISAPPROVE.
Courtesy/Civility: ONLY 63% Approve/Highly Approve -- 37% DISAPPROVE
Integrity/Ethics: ONY 66% Approve/Highly Approve -- 34% DISAPPROVE.
Ask yourself whether electing Ellen Feld is a step up or step down from Julio Gonzalez.
Look back to what she tried to do to Gisele Pollack, one of the judges that rates the HIGHEST across the board and ask yourself whether Ellen Feld is the kind of person you want on the bench.
And at least for the judicial elections, LAWYERS GET OUT AND VOTE.
We vote in lower percentages than all other professions, and we have the greatest responsibility to ensure voices that actually KNOW the candidates are heard.
Given that Ellen should lose to Julio this time around, and since she clearly wants to be a judge -- who will she run against in 2010????
Well, she clearly outrates the ADJ on Ethics, Integrity, Courtesy and Civility. He seems like a pretty weak candidate.
Too bad the Chief of Police's wife didn't go before Seidman. It would have been funny to see him squirm. He gives $100,000 bonds on MM Battery. What would he have done in the face of political pressure and media scrutiny?
"We vote in lower percentages than all other professions"
That's because we're too busy soaking ourselves in liquor in the off hours, wondering why we didn't go to business school like the smart and happy people.
10:04 - amen to that
"want someone that is knowledgeable about the law"
huh? you're kidding me, right?
you know what...he may not be the most pleasant individual to deal with but at least he knows the law and applies it fairly. unlike some other judges we know...
according to these rankings seidman is even dumber than gehl.