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The Dreamy and Always "Ideologically Compatible" Frank Jimenez.

My fast-talking street urchin buddy and DCBA Prez Timmy Ravitch sent me only his 14th email this hour, and for some strange reason I decided to throw caution to the wind and actually open it.

After recalling the terrible plight of the former comptroller of Nigeria who managed to procure $26.2 million in stolen oil department funds before his untimely death, and whose widow now desires a "solicitor of renown" to assist in transferring the money to my personal bank account, I also learned that a few folks from South Florida are in the running for the latest vacant spot on the Florida Supreme Court:

Because 7 of the 18 candidates are from Miami, however, I feel a special privilege and responsibility as DCBA President to express support for our local candidates. In addition, I urge our legal community to voice its support for our own local judges and practitioners in this election process. Miami is one of the most diverse metropolises in the nation and it is appropriate that the state judiciary reflect a commitment to diversity by drawing from the rich variation in viewpoints, talents, and backgrounds that are the hallmarks of the bench and bar here in Miami.

The candidates are listed alphabetically as follows:

Perry Adair
Judge Kevin Emas
H. Scott Fingerhut
Judge Gill Freeman
Edward G. Guedes
Frank R. Jimenez
Judge Leslie Rothenberg

HAHAHAHAHA -- Timmy sure knows how to make me laugh!

Actually, I agree with him -- this is a pretty strong list. However, we are all aware of the pressure on Crist to select an Hispanic judge this time around, particularly after he picked two deeply conservative white guys already.

So my eyes were irresistibly drawn to only one smoldering hunk of a name: Frank Jimenez.

You may recall the DBR back in August had this on The Frankitude:

Florida Supreme Court candidate will spend this afternoon being interviewed by the same state panel he attempted to circumvent while serving as a top aide to Gov. Jeb Bush.

Frank Jimenez, who served as Bush?s assistant general counsel, is one of 50 attorneys being interviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission to fill two openings created by the resignations of Bush appointees Raoul Cantero III and Kenneth B. Bell.

In 1999, the St. Petersburg Times reported Jimenez helped hatch a plan to recruit judicial applicants who were ?ideologically compatible? with Bush.

The plan to ramp up the role of politics in the judicial selection process called for a ?shadow system of ?unofficial regional panels? ? made up of Bush supporters to recruit people interested in becoming judges.

Recruits were not guaranteed a judicial post, but they had to be ideologically in line with Bush. The Times reported Bush seemed to like the idea and sent Jimenez a one-sentence e-mail in response: ?Come by and visit with me on this.?

Jimenez, now general counsel to the U.S. Navy, did not return a call for comment by deadline. He is among the high-profile applicants for the openings as Bush?s former deputy chief of staff and brother of former Miami U.S. Attorney Marcos Jimenez, a Miami partner with Kenny Nachwalter.

At the time, Frank Jimenez said the plan was not designed to influence the JNCs.

?This was merely an attempt to bring qualified candidates to the attention of the JNCs,? Jimenez told the St. Petersburg Times in 1999. ?There was never any discussion of trying to influence the JNC members.?

Of course not! Why would anyone think that? A "shadow system of 'unofficial regional panels'" -- a "people's panel," if you will. How could anyone not see the obvious benefits?

And the 2000 Florida recount! Who could forget Frank's alleged role in that whimsical, carefree adventure -- see here, here and here for those who -- like me -- long to relive those proud days when being a "Florida citizen" really meant something to the world.

Full post as published by South Florida Lawyers on December 02, 2008 (boomark / email).