Broward Courthouse’s Holiday Gift For Gov. Scott
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Gov. Rick Scott is getting a holiday gift from Broward County: Two new judicial appointments.
Within days, the Broward Judicial Nominating Commission will formally announce two Circuit Court openings. The jobs need to be filled by Scott because two disgraced judges have finally left office.
Scott’s appointments of Republican lawyers to the bench have caused a great deal of grumbling in Democratic legal circles. Democratic lawyers complain that the JNC and governor refuse to consider any one who is not a member of the GOP.
Whether this widespread Democratic belief is true will again be tested before the end of the year because:
- Former Judge Lynn Rosenthal quit earlier this month rather than face a deeper inquiry into her DUI arrest May 2014. The Florida Supreme Court wanted to know why Rosenthal made misleading statements to investigators and why her husband destroyed evidence in the case.
- Former Judge Laura Watson lost what is certainly her last chance to hold on to her seat this week. The U. S. Supreme Court rejected her plea for an injunction and refused to delay her removal from office. The Florida Supreme Court threw her off the bench in June for cutting other lawyers out of their rightful share of a multi-million dollar settlement when she was a private attorney.
Rosenthal and Watson will now no doubt face an investigation by the Florida Bar, which could pull their license to practice law.
Broward Judicial Nominating Commission members will most likely handle both openings at the same time since they are both for Circuit Court.
Lawyers with five years experience who live in Broward will be allowed to apply. After 30 days, the nine JNC members will shortlist the applicants and schedule interviews with those remaining.
The final recommendations for both jobs should be in the governor’s hands by New Years, according to at least one member of the JNC.
October 15th, 2015 at 2:33 pm
Shamrack says that Rosenthal will get a slap on the wrist. The FL Bar is not too interested in attorneys that lie, after all, that is their stock in trade.
Shamrack says that Watson will be crucified. Lying is one thing but stealing from lawyers is quite another.
Shamrack says that Sam Fields will soon post another article decrying elected judges. Shamrack says that Fields believes that neither the electorate nor (Republican) governors can be trusted to select our judges. Fields thinks that only the Holy Order of Liberal Democrat Attorneys is qualified to select judges.
October 15th, 2015 at 4:22 pm
The Democrats are complaining now. When Lawton Chiles was governor, he had Mitch Ceasar on the JNC. How is that for appointing a non-political quality lawyer who can judge the best for the courts?
October 16th, 2015 at 11:00 am
Las Olas Lawyer does NOT list a single instance where Mr. Cesar supported an UNQUALIFIED CANDIDATE for Judge and NO ONE EVER ACCUSED LAWTON CHILES OF SLEAZY POLITICS! I have no personal reason to attack our Governor as he like Govenor Bush appointed wives of friends of mine to State positions – Liberal Women Democrats who their wealthy husbands were glade to have out of the house and from underfoot! However the Broward appointments of Mrs. Di Pietro for example are pretty sleazy politics. And Las Olas Lawyer cites NO SLEAZE in attacking Mr. Cesar and the Democrats.
October 17th, 2015 at 6:41 pm
I’m sorry Count Chocula, you misspelled his name. It is MITCH SLEAZER. He has not taken one breath in his life that does not serve the Democrat party. Except when feeling up his female subordinates that is.
October 18th, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Sham
Suggesting that I will once again oppose elected judges implies that I have previously taken that position.
That is false.
I have no problem with elected judges.
Don’t be so sure that one system produces a materially better product.
Watson was elected
Rosenthal was appointed.
What I don’t like is that Jeb Bush upped the politicizing of the Judicial Nominating Committees.
The original system was made of nine. Three appointed by the governor, three appointed by the Bar and the remaining three by the JNC.
He had the legislature change the law so that he got all nine.
Sounds like a power grab.
FROM BUDDY:
Rosenthal was also re-elected last year within months of being arrested.
October 19th, 2015 at 4:42 am
“Count Cocola” was the termed created by a lobbyist who was part of a lobbyist bribery case on Key West, who after ratting out his co-conspirators went to Miami Beach where he illegally lobbied and tried to get me loan him money for a real estate deal which I refused to do. He has continued using phoney names or pawns attack me after exposing his unregistered lobbying in the Mayor and Commission Office on Miami Beach. If you are going to criticize Mr. Cesar or anyone else, do not show you get your information from people in Federal Corruption Cases who escape indictment by ratting out their co-conspirators!
October 19th, 2015 at 10:02 am
You say “ratting out” like it is a bad thing.
Count, no disrespect intended but I just can’t spell your last name. (or your first name either) Sorry.
October 19th, 2015 at 4:16 pm
If you do something wrong confessing is appropriate BUT ESCAPING PUNISHMENT BY ” TURNING OTHERS” has been repulsive since the Greeks wrote the first plays and the Babylonians wrote the first Laws and the Romans created the ancestors of our Republican form of Constitutional Government.