Ramblings and Rumblings About Town

'Wrandom Writings'

There simply is no candidate more qualified than Chris Pole, who is again a finalist for a judgeship. Quiet dignity, a legal workhorse, incredible integrity, and thirty years of experience. How can he not get appointed?... Speaking of judges, there is a new book out about Justice Antonin Scalia: "American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia" (Sarah Crichton Books, 448 pages, $28), by Joan Biskupic. Biskupic also makes a strong case that among Scalia's biggest fans is the justice himself. "It takes courage not to be politically correct," he said. "If you're a coward, that's your fault." I think the Honorable Justice is a hundred years ahead of his time. But his time was 1698... And speaking of the Supreme Court, there is a nice article in the NY Times today that is worth reading, about the Supreme Court’s upcoming session: ‘Right and Left Join Forces on Criminal Justice’: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/us/24crime.html?_r=1

In some local news, good feelings for Attorney Ed Hoeg. His son appears in GQ this month as a model, on page 112. Ask him about it. He is carrying around the book… And speaking of books, if you run into CNN favorite, Prosecutor Stacy Honowitz, she is carrying around the draft of a great book for children, written in rhyme, detailing thoughtful ways to avoid child sexual abuse. This has got to get published… So why is a Volkswagen Bus the picture for this story? Ask Defense Attorney, John Marne, a Live Oak concert buff. You see, that would be Jon’s broken down camper on the trailer, which sadly died on its way to the Central Florida concert. Not to be beaten down, Jon placed the Bug Bus on the trailer, and still made it to Live Oak to catch the concert. Good for him. I love the outdoor festivals, and so does Mr. Marne. Even ran into him at the Bonnarroo Fest in Tennessee a few years back… By the way, do you know which retired bondsman (Bill Shephard) lives not far from there? Ask Keith Seltzer, he bought a vacation house by him... And speaking of bondsmen, you see Wayne Spath, the bondsman, in the courthouse often, but when he is not there, he may be fishing off the dock in his house in the Keys. He was recently there with, do you remember him- Pete Aiken, who has moved his practice to Fort Myers. If you need an ace attorney up there. Pete scored a great deal for me on one case recently… So too did Yale Freeman move from Miami to the West Coast. Naples, Fort Myers, is the way Broward was 25 years ago. Is that a good thing?

From the good news department: A winning Fantasy Five Ticket was sold in the little deli across the street from the courthouse, and the $200,000 winner was a courthouse maintenance man. Hey, that’s just a day’s work for Bogenshutz…Should let you know as a traffic hearing officer, whose duties require judging the innocence or guilt of those who are charged with traffic offenses, I have been seeing a lot more enforcement of Florida’s ‘Move Over Law’. It requires drivers who approach an emergency vehicle or tow truck stopped roadside with flashing lights to change lanes away from the emergency vehicles if able to do so safely and if not, slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit. .. You know what I would like to see, though- more citations issued to drivers who litter. I wanted to ram a guy the other day after I saw him just toss a McDonald’s bag out the window, but the fries were just too good. ..Speaking of driving, how much of a moron is the dude who led Lauderhill police on a high speed chase and bolted from his car only to jump in a canal at Pine Island Road and I-95 known for its random appearance of alligators? From the what was he thinking department, did you notice how NO cops went in after him?.. What is the highest breath reading you ever encountered on a DUI case? A Pompano woman driving the wrong way on I-95 in Martin County just blew a .37….

Maybe I am in the wrong field. I noticed last month a fee request in the Mutual Benefits case from the trustee was for $11 million dollars. The judge read it wrong. Thought it was $1.1 million. I am thinking I could live comfortably with either figure. And in the doozy of them all, the Madoff case, Trustee Irving Picard and the Manhattan law firm handling the receivership asked for $17 million in legal fees covering May through September. Not bad for a few months work. And not to be outmatched, after less than a month at work on the RRA debacle, Judge Stettin has asked for a cool $170,000. This new legal arena seems like a little bit more lucrative than even traffic tickets. But are the trustees supposed to make as much as the accused scammers?

Lots of office space in the 110 Tower, across the street from the Courthouse, now that Auto Nation has moved out, followed by a few big law firms. State Attorney Mike Satz already has space there, but why not allow the clerk to rent a floor to begin the process of moving away from the future disasters we know will befall the mold infested aging structure whose air we breathe every day? In fact, one criminal judge refused to move to civil because of the high level of allergens in the old wing. Makes me think we probably could also convert a few of the spaces in the 110 Tower to a new civil courtroom also.

Would a 50 year lease at a building already open and running adjacent to the courthouse be cheaper then a new building? And what ever happened to the recommendations of that courthouse committee? You know, Scott Rothstein served on it. Another clear example of how money bought position and power and led to poison. What the hell did he know about the courthouse? Should have appointed him to the new jail committee. At least then the experience would have served his future.