JNC: Six Names to Gov for County Court

Brenda Di Ioia, from her promo shot with Fox, on tv show, 'Speeders Fight Back,' now a finalist for a county court seat vacancy.

The Judicial Nominating Commission has selected six finalists for an opening on the Broward County Court.

The remaining finalists include well respected litigators, in alphabetical order, have had thier names submitted to the Governor: Melissa Brown, Brenda DiIoia, (pictured), Jorge Hurtado, Ed Merrigan, Christopher Pole, and Michael Robinson.

Governor Christ, who has been insisting on more diversity on the bench, should make an appointment in the next week. It is to fill a position created by Judge Robert Zack's resignation. He will vacate his seat on May 1, 2009. Not known yet if the former restauranteur will reopen a new Tony Roma's but if he does, you can bet Chris Roberts won't be drinking at the bar.

Review Report: New County Judges Selected

A report in the Daily Business Review by Jordana Mishory details the background of the newest judicial selections by Governor Crist:

Fort Lauderdale solo practitioner Carlos Rodriguez has been appointed to the Broward bench, which saw three Hispanics unseated in the last election cycle. Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Rodriguez and General Magistrate Barbara McCarthy as the county’s newest Broward Circuit judges Tuesday.

McCarthy and Rodriguez will fill vacancies left by the October deaths of Judges Howard Zeidwig and Charlie Kaplan. The two new judges interviewed with Crist on Tuesday. Rodriguez was born in Cuba and came to Florida with his family when he was 6. He said in an interview that if his father hadn’t been smart enough to get out of Cuba after Fidel Castro took over, he would have been cutting sugar cane instead of practicing law.

Rodriguez said he is most looking forward to giving back to the community in his new role as judge. “When I say I want to give back to the community, there’s some debts to it because of that experience,” Rodriguez said of the people who helped him succeed. Rodriguez worked at the Broward public defender’s office from 1980 to 1985 before joining Fazio Dawson for 2½ years. He has been a solo practitioner since, handling criminal and insurance defense work and personal injury and medical malpractice cases. He primarily represents plaintiffs. Rodriguez becomes a judge after being selected as a finalist five times by the Judicial Nominating Commission — three times in the late 1980s and twice last year.

In a written statement, Crist commended Rodriguez for his years working in both the civil and criminal arenas. “He is also very active and involved in the Broward County community, and I believe he will use those experiences to judge cases with restraint and balance,” Crist wrote.

McCarthy has served as a general magistrate for nearly five years. She has worked in the family, dependency and civil division. Currently she hears circuit and county civil cases, and also complex business cases. Prior to becoming a general magistrate, McCarthy practiced municipal law with the city of Fort Lauderdale. She also worked as a prosecutor with the Broward state attorney’s office and a 4th District Court of Appeal clerk for then Judge Barry Stone. McCarthy, who grew up in Long Island and went to college in Massachusetts, spent nearly eight years as a special education teacher before going to law school at St. Thomas.

McCarthy said being a judge was a “long-time dream” and said she was both honored and elated when she was appointed. Her interview with Crist on Tuesday, followed by her subsequent appointment, was the first time she met the governor. “Barbara McCarthy’s proven track record as an educator and as an attorney handling a variety of civil and criminal cases makes her an ideal choice for this post,” Gov. Crist said. “I am confident she will use her experiences in the classroom and the courtroom to rule from the bench with patience, humility and fairness.”

These two appointments come in the midst of a major push for diversity on the bench by the governor’s office. Crist has twice rejected a list of nominees for the 5th District Court of Appeal because it contained only white attorneys and judges. He has encouraged JNCs around the state to provide him with a diversified slate of finalists to choose from. But in Broward, judges with Hispanic names did not fair well at the polls in 2008. Many lawyers complained that the Hispanics were being unfairly targeted. All three Hispanic judges who drew challengers — Pedro Dijols, Catalina Avalos and Julio Gonzalez Jr. — lost during the August primary. Gonzalez was the highest-rated judge in a Broward County Bar poll of lawyers.

27 Candidates Opt for Judge Zack's County Seat

A County Court seat opened up with the resignation of Robert Zack, and 27 candidates have now applied for the opening, evenly balanced amongst men and women. Judge Zack will be staying on for a few months, so do not expect a successor to be named immediately.

At least half the candidates have over ten years experience.

Christopher Pole, a distinguished former prosecutor now in private practice, recently a finalist for a circuit seat, has re submitted his name.

Brenda DiIoia, now known as much for the TV show ‘Speeders Fight Back,’ on TRU.TV, submits her name after a close loss in an election campaign. She is
Broward County’s Chief Traffic Magistrate, and her show was just renewed. Another candidate, Maria Varsallone, has also served as a Traffic Hearing Officer for Broward.

Jordan Jordan has served as a Special Master, as has Nick Lopane, who also previously lost an attempt at a judicial election.

Karen Black-Barron and Melinda Brown have each practiced about 20 years and are members of the Family Law Section. Pamela Gordon, admitted in 1998, lists Family Law as her specialty also. Shari Olefson, also with about 20 years in, lists her forte as real property and trust law.

Shannon DeJesus was only admitted in 2001, and indicates he is a member of the Young Lawyers Division. Is there an Elder Lawyers’ Division? Maybe candidate William Lefkowitz will know. He lists his admission date as 1973.

Assistant Public Defender James D. Wells is an applicant also. Stephanie Moon, who entered the Bar in 1996, is with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District and serves on the Federal Courts Committee. Samuel Lopez lists a few sections, including Administrative Law. His practice commenced in 1997.

The Florida Bar lists four Scott Levines, in Broward County alone. So maybe this one from Plantation is a favorite. The Governor could pick from any four names and one of them will show up for work.

The nominees to be screened are as follows. Feel free to leave feedback.


Black-Barron, Karen E.
Bloom, Michael S.
Brown, Melinda Kirsch
DeJesus, Shannon
DiIoia, Brenda
Francois, Phoebee R.
Goldstein, Frieda M.
Gordon, Pamela M.
Hurtado, Jorge E.
Hyatt, Steven W.
Jordon, Jordan H.
Lefkowitz, William H.
Levine, Scott A.
Levy, Nadine L. Girault
Lopane, Nicholas
Lopez, Samuel D.
Mastrarrigo, Lorena V.
McCarthy, Barbara
Merrigan, Jr., Edward H.
Moon, Stefanie C.
Olefson, Shari
Pole, Christopher W.
Ricca, Michele McCaul
Robinson, Michael A.
Varsallone, Maria L.
Wells, James D.
Williams, Gerard S.