CIRCUIT CANDIDATES SPEAK
SENTINEL
Two Broward circuit judges face rare challenges in election
Topix: Sentinel Comments
Interviews by Tonya Alanez. Copyright 2008 Sun Sentinel.
Group 3: Judge Pedro Dijols
What sets you apart from your opponents?I think it's experience ... as a prosecutor and an assistant statewide prosecutor and somebody who successfully ran a private law practice. I think you also want someone who understands we have a truly diverse population. And I think the people in our community, our citizens, want a judiciary that reflects its community. More importantly, they want a judiciary that can appreciate the diversity.
What is the key to being a successful judge?
Treat people the way you want to be treated, number one. Two, follow the law. Make sure the law is applied equally to everybody. And you don't want to take yourself so seriously that you believe you're more important than the people that appear in front of you. I try to keep an open mind and sense of humor about myself.
What is needed to restore the public's declining confidence in the Broward judiciary?
The only thing I can do as a judge is continue working hard. I can't speak on behalf of the other judges; I can only speak on behalf of myself. In light of budget cuts, it's become even more important that you have experienced judges on the bench that understand and know how to run a docket and a courtroom.
Group 3: Bernard "Bernie" Bober
What sets you apart from your opponents?In terms of judicial demeanor, temperament, impartiality, I think I'm better suited for the position than my opponents are. I'm knowledgeable in the law. I'm patient. I don't have an agenda. I listen to people and don't try to interject myself.
What is the key to being a successful judge?
It's important that judges go out of the way to treat everyone with respect. So even if you lose, you know you got your day in court and you were heard and that you were treated fairly. ... And be as knowledgeable about the law as you can.
What is needed to restore the public's declining confidence in the Broward judiciary?
I think judges need to go out of their way to not consider their courtrooms their own little kingdoms. Some judges are good at it, and some judges you'll see temper tantrums in some courtrooms and you'll see people being talked down to. In my view, there's no excuse for a judge to be rude to anybody.
Group 3: Mardi Anne Levey
What sets you apart from your opponents?My experience is more well-rounded. I've done criminal and civil and family [law]. I have done trial work and appellate work. I have the right demeanor to be a judge; I have a calm demeanor.
What is the key to being a successful judge?
I think it's really, really important to be respectful of all the litigants and all the parties and the courtroom personnel ... regardless of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation. I also think judges, obviously, should be fair and have integrity, serve the people with dignity and without an agenda.
What is needed to restore the public's declining confidence in the Broward judiciary?
There's been a lot of antics. Not from every judge, but from some judges.... That's one of the reasons I'm running, is to restore confidence. How would I do it? By serving the bench with dignity, understanding there are differences, there are diversity issues, and respecting all the litigants.
Group 34: Judge Renee Goldenberg
What sets you apart from your opponent?I have the finest credentials, the finest demeanor, the finest commitment and finest respect for young lawyers. In these troubling economic times, it's never been more important to have experienced judges like myself on the bench who can make do with less. And I don't have a learning curve.... I've been a family lawyer, a family judge and a teacher.
What is the key to being a successful judge?
Listening, caring and ruling, and doing so so the people know that you've thought about their case, that their family and their children are meaningful.
What is needed to restore the public's declining confidence in the Broward judiciary?
Most of the judges are doing a fine job. There are 90 of us. We want to continue to do a fine job. With budget cuts we are doing more with less, and we are working very hard just like everyone else.
Group 34: Kim Mollica
What sets you apart from your opponent?My jury-trial experience, my fresh ideas and ability to be fair and impartial. And I think that I have a really good temperament. Judges can become very complacent. They're not lifetime positions.
What is the key to being a successful judge?
Temperament, efficient and open-minded. It's very important to be on time, prepared, versed in the law. Also the ability, something very important with judges, is the willingness to be taught the law and be able to learn it, not that you have an I-know-it-all attitude.
What is needed to restore the public's declining confidence in the Broward judiciary?
To set out a good example, to try to explain to people the system, explain to them a little bit more of the procedure, what's happening, and maybe have some handouts or make sure the attorneys explain to the litigants more what's going on, especially when there's confusion or dissatisfaction.
Is this the same Rene Goldenberg that we all know and understand completely? It has nothing to do with tenure.
Can Dijols skirt the issues any more? This guy talks like he has experience or something. Sounds a little like the old style judges, full of pump and ready to be dumped.
Mollica says maybe we need some handouts in the courtrooms? Maybe we need some judges that know what they're doing. Dijols has played his part insofar as the public's declining confidence in the judiciary many times. Bober is the only one interviewed that conveyed a sense of intelligence. The rest either followed his lead or sound like more of the same old junk we've been hearing for years from the same old people with the same old tired ideas of what they think the public wants to hear. They sound like bad politicians to me.
Bober's got my vote.
doesn't sitting in court waiting for conflicts count as experience? i mean, you can learn a lot by sitting in the front row of the courtroom for hours waiting for an appointment.
He said "successful" private practice? Pull his application I say. Odds are he took a pay raise to be a judge. Odds are his whole practice was SPDs. Yuk Yuk Judge Pedro from the old country.
Treat people as you want to be treated? Pre Bober Dijols used to scream at people in court. He used to make snide mocking comments. He would explode at the drop of a hat. What a phony. He says he tries not to be full if himself. Has there ever been a worse case of robe fever?
Dijols is riding on a hobbled horse. If the voters find out just what the guy is really about, he's in big trouble. Don't know how it will come out, but Dijols because of his problems could be the first circuit spot taken by an outsider. We can hope.
Boober is a mediocre public defender. Mardi ann Levey cohen fingleheimer-schmidt ran for judge already and lost and she has very little legal experience and is very rude and nasty.
Pedro has been and will continue to be a fine judge serving the good people of Broward County.
hate to break it to you but pedro will lose.
he could be rehnquist and still lose in this county with a name like dijols. being appointed by jeb doesn't help either.
Is Goldenberg really as bad as everyone says? What is she like?
SUPPORT BOBER
Great food at the Jib
Bober is one finkelstein's guys, just a good ole' boy, doing exactly what finkelstein tells him to do? Bober sounds like he might have a hard time making a decision on his own, hold on let me confer with finkelstein?
i don't know these people but reading what they had to say, i was mostly impressed with bober, the others were impressed with themselves
The judiciary has received strong criticism and complaints in the last 4 years. Coincidentally the same 4 years that Howard finkelstein has been the public defender, finkelstein has single handely mounted a massive campaign to diminish and deface the judiciary, obviously he has had partners in this endeavor, the sun sentinel and a small band of attorneys have assisted in this destruction, this only emboldens them and empowers them to continue on their program, when all the dust settles the broward county judiciary is a heatlhy, strong, quality group of judges, but if any jurisdiction had one elected public defender with a single mission to try to misquote, misdirect the local newspaper in an effort to slam the judiciary it would have the same affect.
Finkelstein has tried to create a slate of candidates to run against incumbent judges there were a large number of judges that went unopposed and all he was able to do is draw opposition for three hispanic judges, and to further prove the point Bernie Bober is an assistant public defender that has worked in the public defender's office for 22 years. Through the sun sentinel they ask a question what can we do improve the judiciary and the real answer is under our former chief judge Dale Ross and presetn chief judge Victor Tobin, broward county has an excellent judiciary. It is a figment of finkelstein's imagination, to press hot buttons and controversy and throw whatever mud he can at a judge, because he knows the rules of ethics for judges prevent them from defending themselves. It is unfortunate, but they are just sitting targets.
"I'm the finest...." Give me a break. Even in a newspaper question and answer, Goldenberg is condescending. I might have given her the benefit of the doubt before because I don't even know her opponent, but I just don't understand this stupidity.
Renee Goldberg is full of hot air. If she really cared about what happens in family court she would get rid of the bogus term PAS and she would help stop the divorce industry of lawyer GALs, court appointed psychologist and all the other bottom feeders that feed off of families in distress. I plan to make it my personal mission to let voters know that Goldberg could care less about the welfare of children just like all the other Broward Family court judges. By the way all of these judges who accept the PAS diagnosis are supporting pedophilia, because that is what Richard Gardner was just ask Sherrie Bour Carter
If you really cared about getting rid of Goldenberg you wouldn't say all the Broward family judges don't care about the children. I know some of these judges personally and they care deeply about the children. I don't know Goldenberg but you lose all credibility when you say all the judges don't care.
"real answer is under our former chief judge Dale Ross and presetn chief judge Victor Tobin, broward county has an excellent judiciary."
Sounds like Sprinks has another day without a lucrative mediation on his hands.
7-11 is hiring. You can pour a Slurpee without causing a controversy can't you?
If the Slurpee machine breaks he can punch its face in
Plenty of good seats still left for the Boober fundraiser. Bernie will be playing Poker in the back with some interesting people (judge(s). HUMMMMMM
What's up with the allegations of Bober playing in illegal poker games with a judge or judges?
Ask Insane Anti-Howard guy. He knows everything about the untrue. He's even been posting on the Sun Sentinel site today about a media conspiracy. Sound familiar?
illegal poker games, now who doesn't play cards and gamble. shame on him for not going out and hanging out with children and smoking pot.
illegal poker game--please
I think Bober will win because of Hollywood. You hear the old Hollywood Courthouse Mob is working double overtime for Dijols but I don't think it matters much. Why would it when they could only gather 200 votes for Lynch's kid when he ran for office there. More bravado from the decrepit old gang that was always all bark and no bite.
Bober is Mayor of Hollywood because people were sick and tired of that corrupt Giulianta. I don't see Mayor Bober helping Bernie much. Bernie will win or lose (probably lose) on his merits.
THERE IS BERNIES GAME
BRADS GAME WHERE HE ALWAYS FLOPS THE NUTS
KEVINS GAME CALLED WHINE WHEN YOU CANT WIN
ALWAYS A STRIP POKER SHOWBOAT AT THE END
Lol 11:51.
Seems like we had a bunch of stunted adolescents running the most important branch of government in Broward.
Thank goodness they are history.
Loved it on the blog, the individual has hit the nail on the head with Alonez, she really doesn't have any integrity, no credibility and she is so totally biased as a reporter, no one should ever believe anything she writes, I am sure she has finkelstein write it for her. Alonez is a loser as a journalist.
"Sitting targets"? More like emotionally stunted children without a responsibility attached to it. Judges here in Broward are the product of a corrupted system who's losing its footing after being disclosed for who they are. It's beginning to become unraveled! Remember, this is Broward.
Sounds like the judicial apologist is back at the keyboard.
Dear, Dear Mardi Anne Levey (minus the Cohen because she's a hipocryte). Didn't you accuse one of your opponents in a past race that you lost, because the person supposedly used part of their name? How dishonest are you?
You might as well hang this campaign up too. You lost the last one on your reputation and it hasn't changed any since then.
If you can't be up front about your whole legal married name, you won't be up front on the bench.
Directed verdict in favor of the people of Broward. You lose.
Goldenberg is one of the rare judges that tells it like it is. If you have any experience in the field of family law you know how many despicable lawyers can get when they become personally involved with their cases. These lawyers many times forget their client's best interest and are just concerned with winning. Wanna know why they talk so much smack about her??? Goldenberg sits the parties down during the status conference and gives them a very true and crude reality check. She warns them about the upcoming expenses of going to trial and encourages them to settle. In sum, she EMPOWERS the clients to take control of their lives and try to reach an agreement without having a stranger make decisions for them. Is she tough??? HECK YES!!! Is she arrogant???? Very few lawyers are not!!! She can be, yes. However, look around these hallways, the MOST arrogant people walking around this buildings are the ATTORNEYS themselves. She puts a STOP to their games and sets them straight...thats all. Frankly, most of the judges are afraid of standing up to unethical attorneys because the are AFRAID of the bad press. That is sad....
Ian Richards doesn't know a gavel form a hammer.
Remember, you are correct this is broward and finkelstein is also part of the corruption, oh and let's include tonya alonez in this scene, let me write the story for you howie but I need a little help from you? Finkelstein is correct when he states to his friends that he can do what he wants and get away with it?
Ain't no thing but a chicken wing.
Please, as long as family court judges are willing to look the other way why the bogus PAS diagnosis invented by a pedophile is used like a sword in Family court then I stand by my assertion that all Broward Family court judges suck.
Is she arrogant? Hell yes! That's an endorsement? If I was arrogant in my job, I wouldn't have one. The public should expect to be treated fairly and respectfully. We need change more than I thought... the above thinks this is acceptable. The tax payer does not! Vote for change. Vote Kim Mollica!