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Great piece on the Chief

John Pacenti covers Judge Moreno here:
http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html?news_id=56416
From the intro:
When socialite Paris Hilton came to town for a civil trial, she was upstaged by none other than Chief U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno.
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Pragmatic, smart and funny, the Miami jurist stopped seasoned attorneys who were litigating the question of whether Hilton adequately promoted her film box office bomb "Pledge This!," to ask incisive questions. Since it was a bench trial, Moreno was serving as a jury of one and had no need for rote legal arguments.
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Despite his good humor, Moreno is a stickler for proper courtroom decorum. He gently chastised an out-of-town attorney representing Hilton repeatedly for failing to stand up when addressing him. He prompted an out-of-town attorney in another case to borrow a tie before speaking at the courtroom lectern. Given the judge's jocularity and ready smile, the attorney asked if he was kidding.
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The judge wasn't.
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Moreno said his insistence on decorum is based on respect for the institution.
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"I think a federal courthouse, or any courthouse for that matter, is a secular temple," he said. "We dress in robes because it's a secular temple. People dress in suits, and I think people behave better when they are dressed better."
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--David Oscar Markus
www.markuslaw.com
305-379-6667

Full post as published by Southern District of Florida on July 27, 2009 (boomark / email).