WHO IS STEVEN FEREN & WHY DID HE WANT TO BE A JUDGE?
Judge Feren doesn't want you wasting his precious time.
If you do, he's going to burn your client...
Excerpts from a May 28, 2009 transcript (it starts to get good around page ten):
... not all of the felonies ultimately matter down the road. There's really no difference between a grand theft and a petit theft withheld (p.15)...
... I don't understand why on earth I have to spend the time going to trial when it really doesn't matter in the long run to the child (p.17) ...
You can always come up to me side-bar and explain to me why I shouldn't be upset that you're going to trial and that it really makes sense to go to trial in this particular case, and then I won' t be upset (p.18) ...
I don't believe that the misdemeanors matter, ultimately (p.19) ...
I'm not going to do it concurrent, because the child took his chances, went to trial, I found him guilty, and he has to do a separate punishment on that in my mind as opposed to the other cases where the Court is giving him what's agreed to between the parties as an expediency because the child's pleading no contest ... So, that' s also part of your obligation - to tell him that if he loses, you know, he'll face a stiffer penalty. -- so he's taking his chances to go to trial (p.21-22) ...
No, I'm not punishing them for exercising their right to trial. I believe that if you go to trial and I hear all the evidence and I find you guilty, that because I've found you guilty, you should get a punishment and that punishment is different than if you come in front of me and you plead no contest and I don't know whether you're really guilty or not, and I'm just giving you whatever it is that's agreed upon between the parties. It's not punishment for going to trial. lt's punishment for being adjudicated and being found guilty (p.22 23).
The Tao Of Sunrise Mayor/Judge Steven Feren (December 19, 2008)
"Outgoing Sunrise Mayor Steven Feren, who is leaving office next month to take a judgeship, is proving once and for all that's he's unfit for public office.
The mayor's recent actions have been disgraceful. He is, right now, scrambling to try to get his fellow Sunrise commissioners to vote to ensure him an extra $150-a-month subsidy for the rest of his life as part of his city retirement plan. Sunrise taxpayers should be outraged since they are already paying him a pension and a $200-a-month subsidy on top of that. The public will also be paying his $145,000 judicial salary. This guy isn't a public official -- he's a hog at a trough..."
JAABLOG'S FREE TIP FOR JUDGE FEREN -
IF THE LITTLE BLUE MAN IS LIT UP, YOU ARE BEING RECORDED
(PS: Feren has only tried two cases to verdict since starting in January)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
When is he up for re-election?
Just another Brain Surgeon on the Broward County Bench? Would you really expect anything less?
Politics as usual in the slop pit of South Florida, and particularly in the Broward Judicial arena.
He'll fit right in with the other questionably incompetent sloppers at the public trough like Ross and Buddies that you can't shake off after they burrowed their way deeply into the public purse because they couldn't do anything else well enough to keep a job.
Can you say PATHETIC loudly enough for it to be heard up to Tallahassee, or would that just serve to keep them around? Sad state of affairs.
I have to laugh at that comment. Just a few years ago, some of the juvie judges were doing several per week.
For those of us who live in Sunrise this transcript is just another Commisson mtg led by Mayor Steve. This guy taught Alu the ropes, if Alu was judge you would get this and more (especially if ur a married man).
Feren needs to go down the rocky road of judicial obscurity along with the other clowns that can't figure it out. From Sunrise to the bench still wanting more. Throw the guy out. When's he up for re-election? Are there nothing but the worst sitting on the bench in Broward?
Another lazy and arrogant idiot looking for yet another pension to be paid by the tax payers. These jerks are getting pretty sloppy. Two cases since January? Boy, he's right up there with a couple of other judges when it comes to doing next to nothing to earn their salaries.
"Whereupon the hearing was concluded..."
As I assume will be Judge Feren's stint in juvenile delinquency and potential for going to a felony division.
Two trials since January?
He's tied with Seidman I think - if you include that bench trial with the guy who had already served 2x the statutory max.
You guys are missing the point!! We need more guys like Ferin on the Broward Bench!! He's simply expressing what a distinct few others are thinking!! By being so openly incredibly retarded, the qualified defense bar can use his Kim Jong-like attitude to render him meaningless and useless and recusabul! If only the other select few who are also high ranking members of the nazi party were brain dead enough to make a public proclamation of it, then we can silly puddy them into little pieces of duty too!! Simply put, a seasoned trial maven can have this guy dressing like marv albert and licking P.D. toe fungus pre-trial. I mean, is anyone with just one small gonad gonna actually change anything about his cross based on this guys ruling sustaining opposing counsel's objection?? I think not!
I heard around that Tobin said at the Bar installation dinner that Feren was one of the most efficient Judges ever to serve in Juvi. Guess we know why.
Is this guy as stupid as he sounds? Was this guy appointed?
Just what we need. Another Sunrise politician as a judge! It doesn't get any worse. Why are these losers sitting as judges?
He's cracked! What happened to equal application of the law? One term and he's out. Maybe not that long.
He's going on vacation again soon? What a joke.
Judicial activism at its worst for the office he presently occupies. Really poor discretion.
He doesn't spend hardly any time in trial. What's he talking about? What's he been doing since Jan. anyway?
Why does Feren want to be a judge? Simple, he wants another pension besides the one he's drawing from Sunrise. Bad pick. Somebody needs to kick this joke off the bench at the earliest possibility.
Feren should be throughly investigated for his highly questionable condo deal before he takes office as a judge and before he's then forced to move in with Larry Seidlin into his condo.
The pickens are reportedly pretty good at Larry's condo complex.
This Feren would fit right in. And who knows what he'll find in Larry's condo. Maybe some more Ana N. Smith ex rays or even better mementos of the exploits of Judge Larry and "The Condo Ghosts".
Keep an eye on these freaks. This is bad. Who deos he think he is? Check out his condo dealings.
Feren should have been watching the little blue man instead of spouting off his philosophy about attorneys bringing their client's case to trial.
He must have forgotten if he ever knew that that's a guaranteed right to have your case heard. What a doofus.
Your article should read "Who {was} Steven Feren and why did he want to be a judge"
I heard from an unreliable source that Ferin thinks he may have met a guy or girl, somewhere in north america, who claims to have known the brother of a guy, whose paternal grandparent, was exposed to an author, who is alleged to have written a book, alluding to the story of a fictious character, who dreamt he had a fantasy of being within 172 yards of a trial one decade. Hey, if thats true...I find all the premature and judgmental critcisizm to be most unfair
Its about time somebody on the blog had something positive to say finally and defend Ferin by explaining exactly his connection to trials and, but for this person coming forward, we would think he was completely worthless...but apparently he's not
ABSOLUTELY NOT HE WAS VOTED INTO OFFICE BY THE GOOD PEOPLE OF BROWARD COUNTY
YEAH!!! FOR JUDICIAL ELECTIONS
Feren is a politician through and through. You jaabloggers paid no attention to his candidacy when he ran. Your focus was Pedro and Catalina but no one cared about this guy. You people cared about gossip and trashing people.... and then look what you missed.
While campaigning at various events he would inform the voters that "I have been in public service for so many years and now I want to finish out my career as a judge, I DESERVE THAT". He actually said this!!!!
Message to bloggers.... don't just focus on the races with the people you know (and I am talking to you...PD's and SA's)because otherwise you get other judges who you know nothing about who may not be good for the judiciary. If you care then go out and meet the candidates... find out who they are and what they are about. And then blog.
Message to Jaablaw: find out about all the candidates and then present info about each of their qualifications not just the ones that the defense bar knows. (If you had ever sat down with Feren and met him prior to the election and talked to him you may have seen what was coming down the 'pike.)
Feren and Weinstein. Couple of politicians sailing off into the sunset on the taxpayers dimes. The real villian is the judicial elections. The politicals have name recognition from previous elections and become judges with zippo experience.
At least he says what every other judge already does. He should be commended for his honesty.
FYI Weinstein was appointed.
Feret is a pompous ass
http://twitter.com/jaablog
The 5 day rule? Where does he get off talking about what felony judges do with motions? Did he even practice criminal law in Broward?
And even as you read this Feren has planned his next vacation, coming soon, very soon.
Feren would have gotten along well with old Dan Futch. I assume the public defender's office has already put together a motion to recuse this dinosaur. Vic, Vic, Vic, where are you going to put this idiot? Civil, Probate, East Satellite?
You have five more years before he is up again. He just got on the bench