Criminal Law

TWEET!

Posted on May 20, 2013
Howard Finkelstein has written Matt Destry a letter asking him to kindly refrain from allegedly posting to his Twitter account during court proceedings.  Although we've heard of judges banning jurors from tweeting during trials, it's unknown if a U...

THANKS TO ALL

Posted on May 20, 2013
To everyone who has been calling, texting, and emailing, THANK YOU for your support.  This blog could never have helped usher in some of the reforms that have made Broward a half-way decent place to live free and practice law without your help, and we'll weather the Bar's most recent onslaught together...

COURTHOUSE LOSS

Posted on April 10, 2013
Susan Aramony passed away after a long illness Monday.Thoughts and prayers to the family of a judge characterized by many as "the nicest person in the courthouse".Funeral Information: Friday, April 12, 2013 5:00 ? 8:00 PM Service at 7:00 PM___________________________________ Baird-Case Jordan Fannin Funeral Home 4343 North Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308 954-492-4000 Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:00 AM ? Funeral Service ___________________________________ Saint John The Baptist Catholic Church 4595 Bayview Drive Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308 954-771-8950  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your favorite charity...

LAWSUIT!

Posted on April 09, 2013
Here is the complaint the Palm Beach judicial set is talking about, filed by prominent campaign consultant Rebecca Shelton against Marni Bryson for allegedly unpaid expenses and consulting fees from Bryson's successful 2010 county court campaign totalling $30,292...

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PB PICK A WINNER (OR LOSER)

Posted on February 21, 2013
Here is the preliminary list of Palm Beach County judges up for reelection.  It's preliminary because some of the more recent appointments may have two year grace periods.  The list was compiled by referencing 2008 candidates, which means some of the judges recently appointed to replace 2008 judges who retired or got promoted may not be up this year...

CHOOSE YOUR POISON

Posted on February 20, 2013
 ??? Old friends ??? ...JAABLOG's new found obsession with all things Palm Beach has taken us down a familiar path.  It turns out old friend Howard Finkelstein and 15th Circuit Chief Judge Peter Blanc, currently in consideration for a spot on the Fourth DCA, are old running buddies from their days at UM Law School...

AL MILIAN FOR JUDGE

Posted on February 19, 2013
 Al with a picture of his Dad, the legendary Emilio Milian ...Alberto "Al" Milian is running for circuit court judge in Miami.  He recently filed here, to replace Ronald Dresnick.  Al is a formidable candidate.  A darling of the police union set, a prominent member of the Cuban-American community, a Bronze Star winning U...

JUST BREATHE 2013 (THURSDAY)

Posted on January 30, 2013
 To Joe, Love Shari ...Coming Soon - Pictures of Marni!

WHO IS MARNI BRYSON, AND WHY?

Posted on January 23, 2013
 Knows case law so well, she doesn't have to read it ...It happened last week.  The worst experience your humble author has ever experienced in a court of law.  After countless brouhahas with Broward badasses like Sheldon Schapiro, Lenny Feiner, Eileen O'Connor, Gardiner, Cheryl Aleman, and the mighty Dale Ross, it took Palm Beach county judge Marni Bryson to leave the worst aftertaste ever over an eleven year career of near daily visits to court...

DENIED!

Posted on January 15, 2013
David Crow issued this sharply worded Order yesterday, denying Gardiner's request for something called a "Retroactive Application Of Suspension".  From the Order:"The Motion is denied. There is no legal authority or factual predicate in theevidence for this request...

"RETROACTIVE SUSPENSION" REQUEST

Posted on January 14, 2013
David Crow's Report Of RefereeGardiner's Closing Argument - Some nice Rogow and Satz bashing, but not so much for the blog this time ... Florida Bar's Amended Closing Argument - Bar counsel joins Alu in saying Gardiner lied during the trial, specifically concerning her relationship with Tenzer ...

ALL COUNTS NG AT 2:39 PM

Posted on December 21, 2012
Hilly Moldof's big gamble paid off.  Turning down a mistrial and allowing two jurors to be replaced by alternates equals a big win for the defense.  The 10-2 split was in Penalver's favor just as Moldof had predicted, with Moldof also correctly assuming that the two jurors running against the tide for acquittal happened to be a Black female and a Black male, in a case with two Black female victims...

PENALVER VERDICT: NOT GUILTY!

Posted on December 20, 2012

PRETRIAL BLOODBATH?

Posted on December 19, 2012
Scott Israel's November election immediately set off alarm bells in courthouse circles regarding the highly successful Pretrial Release program.  Powerful bondsmen were early supporters of Israel, and their distaste for the program has been aired everywhere from the courthouse cafe to the County Commission...

DEADLOCK!

Posted on December 17, 2012
The Seth Penalver jury is in its sixth day of sequestration.  This may be a record for a criminal case in Broward County.  Lawyers and judge and court staff spent the entire weekend on call, roaming the halls of the courthouse and their offices while deliberations were ongoing...

MEET JUDGE SCHERER

Posted on December 13, 2012
 This is not a drill ...Phones started lighting up around 6 pm - Liz Scherer is your new circuit court judge.  She'll be taking over for Lynn Rosenthal in Dependency in January.Did Bill Scherer's resignation from the JNC have anything to do with Liz's promotion from ASA to judge?  Will the elder Scherer now reapply for the JNC?  And will he apologize for trash talking the blog during Gardiner's trial?In any event, congratulations to all the applicants!Coming Soon - circuit judge Stacy Ross?

MOVEMENT

Posted on December 12, 2012
Here is the Administrative Order assigning judges, effective January 14th.  It has yet to be posted on the 17th Circuit's website, probably due to the courthouse closure confusion.How did we do?

JAABCAM

Posted on December 12, 2012
1.) Confused courthouse employees after this morning's evacuation.  Were they supposed to go home?  Could they go Christmas shopping?  Or was everyone due back at work in an hour?; 2.) Peter Weinstein hosted Jesse Panuccio, Rick Scott's outgoing General Counsel (R, with shoulder bag), last Friday in his eighth floor office...

CHANNEL TEN AT 5:30 TONIGHT

Posted on November 30, 2012
Get your Tivo's runnin'.Sheila Alu reportedly gave Bob Norman a very candid interview regarding the funky Gardiner trial earlier this afternoon.  It's set to run at 5:30 PM tonight, or possibly at 6:00 PM, depending on scheduling.  We'll be sure to link it as soon as it posts ...

THE CLINTON DEFENSE

Posted on November 29, 2012
 Bill Clinton had trouble with definitions too ... *SS: Ex-judge spends hours tearfully testifying at misconduct inquiryJAABLOG: Gardiner Delivers Damaging Testimony (2007)* Clinton was eventually disbarredComing Soon - More!

UPDATE

Posted on November 28, 2012
Whether or not Gardiner decides to testify is irrelevant.  We're told in no uncertain terms The Bar can call her as a witness.  She still can be called in rebuttal.  Let's give them the benefit of the doubt, and hope they really try to win this thing by putting her on the stand later today if she doesn't choose to testify on her own ...

ON THE STAND ...

Posted on November 28, 2012
We're told Gardiner took the stand earlier, and may still be testifying as we speak.  Called by her defense team ...

TUESDAY NOTES

Posted on November 27, 2012
Will she or won't she? - the Gardiner trial enters its second and final day Wednesday.  All eyes will be on the accused, to see if she testifies.  In the past, the horse's mouth often put the horse's butt in the critical cross-hairs, so Dave Bogenschutz may think twice before putting her on...

SHOWTIME!

Posted on November 26, 2012
 All aboard the Loureiro Express!David Crow's judicial assistant confirmed minutes ago that Florida Bar v. Ana Gardiner is a go.  No last minute emergency motions have been filed, which means trial will begin tomorrow morning as scheduled, running through Wednesday...

PC!

Posted on November 15, 2012
The Florida Bar has confirmed a finding of probable cause regarding the complaint made by Palm Beach Judge David Crow, following litigation before him concerning matters which resulted in a $981,792 judgement against Laura Watson.  The probable cause finding was made on October 19th, which we'll post as soon as we get a copy...

OFF THE HOOK!

Posted on November 15, 2012
Laura Watson's bar complaint is kaput.  Yes, a finding of probable cause was made on October 22nd, found here, however that's as far as it's going to go.  According to Ken Marvin, Director of Lawyer Regulation for the Florida Bar, no formal complaint will be drafted, because a prosecution cannot be concluded before Watson dons her robe...

IT'S OFFICIAL ...

Posted on November 14, 2012
Ron Gunzburger is in as Scott Israel's General Counsel over at BSO.  This is old news, but since Gunzburger's resignation to old boss Lori Parrish at the Property Appraiser's Office (BCPA) didn't become official until yesterday, we figured we'd hold off...

WEDNESDAY NOTES

Posted on November 14, 2012
Rosenthal Redux - it looks like Lynn Rosenthal is definitely headed to Criminal, and always was, rumors to the contrary be damned.  The winner of David Krathen's tax-payer sponsored crown is apparently headed to Dependency after all, while Rosenthal, Mike Rothschild, and Marc Gold will be filling the previously mentioned holes in Felony Lock-Up...

JAABLOG MOVEMENT

Posted on November 13, 2012
Here's what we're hearing now.  Mostly the same, except Gold was always slated for Rebollo:Marc Gold to RebolloCarlos Rebollo to Rodriguez.Judge Scherer or Judge Fry to Lynch (whoever gets appointed to Krathen's seat).Tom Lynch to Eade.Mike Rothschild to Perlman...

VIVA DEMOCRACY!

Posted on November 06, 2012
"There is no more scared animal than a challenged incumbent."               - A Wise Old Broward Political ConsultantCongratulations to all the winners and losers in Election 2012...

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