Secretary of State Testifies Today

By John R. Byrne

We have a Secretary of State testifying this morning. Marco Rubio will be at the King building to testify in the trial of David Rivera. Rivera is accused of unregistered lobbying for the Venezuelan government during the first Trump administration. David Markus and Ed Shohat for the defense. CBS covers it here. This has to be the first time a sitting Secretary of State has testified in a SDFLA trial, but maybe one of our SDFLA historians will say otherwise.

I hear space in Judge Damian's courtroom is at a premium, so good luck to those trying to get a seat. 

Miami's Women in Leadership

By Jordi C. Martínez-Cid

Miami is unique in that it is the only major U.S. city founded by a woman. Julia Tuttle, the Mother of Miami, would be proud to know that Miami is (probably) the only major U.S. city with a woman in nearly every leadership role. On Friday at Amal in Coconut Grove, the Cuban American Bar Association recognized those women, including Chief Judge Altonaga. The other honorees were: Ariana Fajardo Orshan, Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit (and former U.S. Attorney for our district); Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade County; Eileen Higgins, Mayor of Miami; Rosie Cordero-Stutz, Miami-Dade Sheriff; Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade State Attorney; and Alina Garcia, Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections. Congratulations to all the honorees.

(Left to right: Haydee Sera, Chief Judge Altonaga, Amanda Fernandez)

Judge James W. Kehoe

 By John R. Byrne

Happy Friday, everybody. Today we remember Judge James Kehoe, who served on our court for nearly twenty years (from 1979 to 1998). Before his federal judicial service, Judge Kehoe had a long career on the state court bench. He served fourteen years as a state circuit court judge (1963-1977) and two years as a state appellate judge on the Third DCA (1977-1979). 

Then there was football. Judge Kehoe attended the University of Florida on a football scholarship and served as a college football referee during his years of judicial service. I'm thinking the penalty flags he threw may have carried a bit more heft than those thrown by his fellow crew members. 

At the time of his death, one of his law clerks recalled that, while on the state court bench, Judge Kehoe commented that he hoped to have earned the following inscription on his gravestone:  “Good Lawyer, Nice Guy.” By all accounts, he did. 

FBA write up below:

Judge Kehoe was nominated to the district court by President Carter; he served on the court from 1979 to 1998. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946. In Meek v. Martinez, 724 F. Supp. 888 (S.D. Fla. 1987), Judge Kehoe held that Florida’s intrastate funding formula for allocating Older Americans Act funds violated both the Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to adequately target services to low-income minority elderly and by producing a racially disparate impact, and accordingly enjoined further implementation of the formula until it was revised to comply with federal law.

Court Event for Women's History Month

 By John R. Byrne

Back in 1978, a county in Sonoma, California came up with the idea of a "Women's History Week." It caught on, eventually leading Congress to designate the month of March "Women's History Month" in 1987.

Now, just about forty years later (yes, 1987 was almost forty years ago), the SDFLA is holding its first Women's History Month event. It's a great lineup of speakers (see below). Date is March 31, 2026 at the Wilkie D. You can register to attend by emailing FLSD_Program@flsd.uscourts.gov. 

Also, good luck to the Hurricanes and Gators in the NCAA tournament, which tips off today. I see Duke winning it this year.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

By John R. Byrne

I’m a little late on this post, but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. While it may be hard to play hooky on a Tuesday, I hope at least a few of you managed to sneak out for a pint—whether at Duffy’s (the real one on Red Road, not the chain), John Martin’s, or your Irish pub of choice.

The holiday also offers a good excuse to reflect on the contributions of Irish-American jurists to our legal tradition. One notable example is Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy. Though perhaps not as widely remembered as some of his contemporaries, Murphy—himself the son of Irish immigrants—authored a dissent in Korematsu v. United States. In it, he condemned the internment of Japanese Americans:

“Racial discrimination in any form and in any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life. It is unattractive in any setting but it is utterly revolting among a free people who have embraced the principles set forth in the Constitution of the United States.”

Closer to home, it appears that the St. Patrick’s Day spirit made its way into one of our courthouses as well. The attached poster—apparently displayed today at the West Palm Beach courthouse—highlights several Irish-American members of our bench, including Judge Williams, Magistrate Judge McCabe (twice, no less), Magistrate Judge Matthewman, Magistrate Judge Hunt, and retired Magistrate Judge O’Sullivan. That said, this list may not be exhaustive. I believe we're missing, at the very least, Judge Moore.

In any event, it is a reminder that even in the Southern District of Florida, a bit of Irish heritage—and perhaps a touch of Irish humor—can find its way into the law.

I start trial today...

 ... so I will be relying heavily on Mr. Byrne to pick up the blogging in my absence.  

Jury selection this week in this interesting FARA case in which Marco Rubio will be a witness.   

Ed Shohat, David Weinstein, and Buddy Bardenwerper represent Former Congressman David Rivera.

Margot Moss (who will opening for us next Monday) and I represent Esther Nuhfer.

The govt is represented by Harry Schimkat, Roger Cruz, and David Ryan. 

Event next month with Judge Singhal and Judge Artau

By John R. Byrne

Our federal judges who sit in Fort Lauderdale don't get down to Miami all that often. And the judges even farther north (West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce) generally get down even less. That's what makes an upcoming Federal Bar Association event a rare opportunity. On April 9, 2026, Judge Singhal, who sits in Fort Lauderdale, is interviewing our newest federal judge, Judge Artau, who sits in West Palm Beach. This will be at noon at the Coral Reef Yacht Club. 

Parking is easy and the food much better than the typical hotel ballroom fare. Registration link here. 

Magistrate Judge Opening in Fort Pierce

By John R. Byrne

Want to be a federal magistrate judge in Fort Pierce? The Court is accepting applications. You can apply here.

Ever wonder where Fort Pierce got its name? No? Well, I'll tell you anyway. It's named after an Army post which was built near the city in 1838 during the Second Seminole War. And that Army post, in turn, had been named after Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, a career United States Army officer and, notably, the brother of President Franklin Pierce.