The problem with voting for judges is, they are not allowed to give opinions. So they can't debate. There really isn't much to go on except lawyers experience with the judges, but then you have to trust the lawyers. And then if you ask two lawyers you know they might have competing opinions. At one time I did judge interviews for endorsements with a C3, and you could tell a lot by the kind of questions we asked. If you don't know which judge to vote for, I am tempted to say do not vote for any. But enough people will be voting for them that know even less than you, they will be voting on just the vowels in their name.
I tend to vote for incumbents -- Judges that have been in office for a long time. I always would look at the bar judicial poll, but I don't see one for this year on the Dade County Bar Association Website. I went to many of the websites/facebook pages of the candidates. Honestly, you can make a decision if you look at both of them together and read about them. It helped me. I decided on Wendell Graham from reading his website and I decided against Elena Ortega-Tauler from reading hers.
Circuit Judge 11th
Judicial Circuit Groups:
9 Jason Bloch (I), Marcia Del Rey (Here I endorse Bloch, mainly because a boletera admitted she was working for Del Rey)
34 Mark Blumstein and Renee Gordon
52 Rosy A. Aponte (OMG the stuff I read about her) , Carol Breece she has a lot of endorsements, Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts
66 Robert Luck (I), Yolly Roberson (Here I endorsed Luck)
74 Elena Ortega-Tauler and George Sarduy (I)
County Judge Groups:
5 Fred Seraphin (I) and Milena Abreu (Fred great website)
7 Lizzet Martinez and Ed Newman (I) (Lizette your page sucks, I went to about you and there was nothing there)
15 Ruben Alcoba and Linda Luce (the incumbent is not running)
35 Wendell Graham (I) and Antonio Jimenez
Judges recommended to me by lawyer friends: Graham, Bloch, Luck, Gordon, Sarduy, Seraphin.
JUDGES I WILL VOTE FOR......
13 comments:
"I tend to vote for incumbents -- Judges that have been in office for a long time."
Not a good shortcut.
First, Rick Scott appoints someone to an empty seat with months to election so that judge can run as an incumbent. Two terms of blowJeb!, 2 terms of Rick Scott and we have a bench full of appointed-reelected incumbent Big Firm (big corporation) butt kissing judges who look for the big firms to toss money at them for reelection and future jobs.
Second, once in power it is amazing how people change. Some good lawyers become horrible judges and some marginal lawyers become great judges. Its tough to know.
Third, NOT voting for the incumbent at least puts new blood on the bench and frustrates the GOP appointment machine.
Fourth, the judicial poll is misleading as mainly the Big Firms that represent the corporate predators fill them out. Most lawyers avoid The Florida Bar and its conventions and ca ca like the plague.
For years Florida had a great Supreme Court. It didn't matter whether the Dems or GOP made the appointments, everyone was competent. Then blowJeb! changed all of that, continued by Rick Scott (and to some extent Crist) and their appointments of political ideological hacks. The Florida Bar is a mess, court appointment not far behind!
A struggling nobody who has been dumped upon by judges and big firms who is running for a seat appeals to me more than the accomplished GOP Big Firm vetted GOP appointed shills.
Newman is a unstable and prejudiced
Thank you was hoping for some feedback.
Jason Bloch sucks. Terrible temperament. Not well liked or respected. I know Del Rey is not much better. Two terrible choices but I went with Del Rey.
I am a pimp so I will vote for Del Rey
As a former Naval Officer, I am offended as always (note: Circuit Group 34:Blumstein), when a political candidate wears their military uniform in a political advertisement. It implies to me that their service is for political gain and not service at all. It implies that the military or the branch of the respective military supports their candidacy. As a veteran I respect my service and all you served by the outward demonstration of my your record by my actions of honesty, honor and duty!
Oscar J Braynon, Sr.
Naval Aviator
Commander US Navy
1975-1996
Here is the latest bar poll http://cabaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/CABA-Final-Voting-Results-2016.pdf
Just read that Bloch is suing to get Del Rey kicked off the ballot because illicit sex is occurring in her family's hotels. How absurd is that?
Since there isn't much to go on, I typically avoid the incumbents. Just because someone's already in office doesn't mean they're doing a good job. But since some people tend to vote for the incumbent then they're there even longer. And then people get the impression that since they've held the job so long, they must be good which further perpetuates the cycle.
Plus, the terms are 6 years, so 6 or 12 years is plenty of time to screw up people's lives.
Thank you for putting this together...very helpful!
I have personal experience with Judge Wendell Graham in the Florida 11th Circuit Small Claims Court. His opponent has my Vote. Here is why:
He did not follow the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, and more >>> denied my Motions without benefit of hearings and with the Corporate Plaintiff writing personal emails to him requesting that he do so (several occasions). The record shows that he complied almost immediately with such emails.
He denied a Defense Motion to Strike Plaintiff Affidavit For example (without benefit of a hearing and by personal request of the Corporate Plaintiff via email) which the State of North Carolina later investigated the Affidavit and found it to be illegal.The complaint had foundation upon that affidavit - without it Plaintiff Lack of Standing and potentially No Cause of Action!
He set the complaint to trial in open court without benefit of the Litigating parties filing a Motion into the record to requesting the court to do so (in violation of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure as I understand them).
I represented myself Pro Se and eventually the Plaintiff Voluntarily dismissed just minutes before the new trial date.
As one of the people have already commented about political appointees..he is one of those. I am not voting fr him. I am African American as is he...so this is should clarify that while I would support my own (if he were qualified); I wonder how many poor Pro Se defendants have not prevailed against Corporate or well healed Plaintiffs >>> due to his clearly favoring a Corporate Plaintiff in my situation.
I just happen to be a person who has the education, perseverance and background as a former Speach and debate person..to have been able to read the rules, research the case law and persevere filing documents and all that. I had to file (twice) into the Appellate Courts in reference to Non-Final Orders along the way. Thank God for the Appellate system and knowledge available via internet. That complaint consumed nearly two years of my life and in my humble opinion he was not "neutral" at all. He gave them everything they wanted along the way.
All three of the following Supreme Court Justices up for re-election voted to allow deceptive solar constitutional Amendment 1 language to be placed on the ballot, therefore:
Retention of Justice Charles Canady – VOTE NO
Retention ofJustice Jorge Labarga – I would say vote no due to the solar issue explained above, , but he is also the first Cuban-American Supreme Court Justice and tends to be more of an independent voice and who knows who would replace him, so I am voting yes to retain.
Retention of Justice Ricky Polston – VOTE NO
They get distracted constantly.
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