Candidate Making Sixth Try For Judge Faces Sen. Gary Farmer, Who Quits The Senate

 

 

BY BUDDY NEVINS

 

 

At least attorney Rhoda Sokoloff is persistent. 

 

 

 

She ran for judge in 2010 and lost. Then again she lost in 2012. Again in 2014. And 2016. 

In 2018 she told the Sun-Sentinel “this is my last time.”

Not quite. 

Sokoloff is back. She opened a campaign for Broward Circuit Court this week, paying her $6,620.36 for the qualifying fee on Wednesday.

She is running for the open Group 23 seat against lawyers Michael Ahearn and Tania Marie Williams. 

After this was posted, State Sen. Gary Farmer also filed to run for the seat. He has been in the Senate since 2016. Farmer faced a potential messy Democratic primary battle for his east Broward seat due to redistricting.  

 

Gary Farmer

 

Sokoloff, the daughter of Holocaust survivors who immigrated from Poland to Canada after World War II, Sokoloff moved to Florida in 1979.

She was a legal assistant for many years. Then, she earned her law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1999. During it all she was a single mother, raising two children. 

Today she has a solo family law practice in Fort Lauderdale.

One problem for Sokoloff is that she is nearly 70 years old. The Florida Constitution states that “no justice or judge shall serve after attaining the age of seventy-five years.” Does this mean Sokoloff would have to quit before the end of her term?

It’s an interesting race before it even starts. 

 



10 Responses to “Candidate Making Sixth Try For Judge Faces Sen. Gary Farmer, Who Quits The Senate”

  1. Las Olas Lawyer says:

    A senior near retirement, a political hack and an inexperienced lawyer. That’s what judge elections give us

  2. Rohawn Franklin says:

    Las Olas Lawyer may be sorry he/she gets what he says he wants. Doing away with judicial elections means turning every judge position over Ron DeSantis. I can only imagine a state full ofBrett Kavanaugh clones.

  3. Rob Tolson says:

    I actually like Gary Farmer, and am sad to see him leave the Legislature. He calls it like it is, and stands up for what he believes is right. Not enough Dems like Farmer in Florida

  4. FTL Voter says:

    Gary Farmer will come to the bench from day one with the insufferable arrogance and oversized ego that most judges take years to acquire. The sad thing is he may be the best qualified of the group.

  5. Michael G. Ahearn, Esq says:

    Buddy

    I moved out of this race and I am currently running for County Court in-group 15

  6. Count LF Chodkiewicz Chudzikiewicz says:

    I hate to say this, but 1. No DeSantis Judge will be decent ’cause he isn’t decent. 2. Give Ahearn n Sokoloff n Farmer Judgeships as Cases Take FOREVER IN FLORIDA especially South Florida, and we need more Judges. None are unqualified stupid or corrupt.

  7. Sam the Sham says:

    Elitist Insiders always want to take away our right to choose our judges. Don’t let them take this important protection away from the people.

    BTW, I would not want to see nothing but Kavanaugh clones, I would like to see some Clarence Thomas and Scalia clones as well.

  8. The Owl says:

    I know it’s almost required to post anti-DeSantis comments in order to live in Broward, but the comments above by Franklin and then Count are just way off base. Governor DeSantis has appointed five people as judges in Broward. One Jewish man, one Asian woman, one Black woman, and two Hispanic women. All well qualified, all well educated, all decent. Hardly worthy of the misinformation with which the above posters are so enamored.

    As far as elections go, Michael Ahearn has experience as a lawyer, mediator and counselor. He can make reasoned and appropriate decisions without regard to one’s politics. That is what a judge must do.

  9. Ricardo tubbs says:

    Why does the sheriff pay a black preacher to campaign for him, with a take home car too. The county.needs to audit this position of rev john mohorne.

  10. Ricardo tubbs says:

    He is also a convicted felon.

    FROM BUDDY:

    It was known and he still won reelection.