Plantation Lawyer Roshawn Banks Announces Candidacy for a Broward County Court Seat

Here pictured with State Attorney Mike Satz, Plantation lawyer Roshawn Banks, with almost 11 years experience is the first candidate for the county court seat now held by Judge Steven Shutter, expected to retire next year.

Having just done another blog on the continuing sad lack of ethnic diversity on the Broward County bench, her candidacy should be applauded and seriously scrutinized. We need a judiciary that better reflects our population. We need to stop thinking of minorities as random replacements to fill every thirtieth opening but to recognize our shortages in the past and to make up for it in the future.

Roshawn Banks, who owns The All Law Center, PA in Plantation, filed for the seat April 9.
According to the center’s website Banks founded the practice in 2005. She represents both civil and criminal clients. The website states she has had 30 trials. I hope she brings wisdom and passion to her candidacy and campaign.

Banks was the president of the T J Reddick Bar Association, where she was outspoken against the lack of diversity on the Broward bench. Good for her. She lost a race for an open seat in the state House last year to now-state Rep. Hazelle Rogers. She also teaches at Nova Southeastern Law School.

Here is a piece Broward Beat columnist and blogger Buddy Nevins did on Ms. Banks.
http://www.browardbeat.com/banks-talks-about-her-judicial-race/

I do not know enough about her to endorse her over other candidates who may choose to run. I do know enough about the lack of judicial diversity on our bench to say her candidacy and committment should be applauded and appreciated and allow for others to believe they too can successfully do the same.

The courthouse blogs are vehicles for people to espouse their candidacies, and the newly organized voices of the Bar are becoming forums and vehicles for people to see more and more candidates running for judicial office. This is all a very good thing. The mainstream media would never give it the time or recognition it deserves. Through these blogs we are learning of judicial decisions that would have been ignored, investigations that get covered up, and candidacies that would have remained dormant until the last minute.