As of July 17, Judge Moreno took senior status. He served the District for 30 years. A big thank you and congratulations to one of the longest (THE longest?) active serving judges in our District. In addition to his service, he will also be remembered for his legacy of championing his clerks and having them appointed as judges and other important positions. His judging tree (like Belichick's coaching tree) is extremely impressive.
Although we do not yet have an official nominee for Judge Moreno's seat, it is widely known that David Leibowitz is being vetted for that slot. Leibowitz is a great and very smart guy, so hopefully that process can move forward.
The SDFLA Blog is dedicated to providing news and notes regarding federal practice in the Southern District of Florida. The New Times calls the blog "the definitive source on South Florida's federal court system." All tips on court happenings are welcome and will remain anonymous. Please email David Markus at dmarkus@markuslaw.com
8 comments:
Hopefully the process moves as it did under Obama.
That's funny. Mitch will get it done. We own you. Your welcome.
Judge Moreno was a mentor to me as a young prosecutor in State court. His letter (which I still have) that he wrote to Janet Reno was significant in my being promoted. His humor, his intelligence, his unique way of handling matters left an impression on me to this day. I can still recall him saying to every juror during voir dire that complained about being called to jury duty how lucky they were and perhaps they should consider playing the new lottery that Florida had just begun. At the end of every jury instruction where the judge tells the jury to disregard anything he or she may have done to indicate they prefer one verdict over another, he would add "I do not". I'm not sure why I recall this, but I do. I remember vividly and (now) fondly what I would call the "traps" he would set when I would ask for a continuance. If I asked for three months he would respond in mock shock "three months! That is such a long time. A lawyer as good and as smart as you surely can be prepared in one month." I would often tell other lawyers that there was no winning the request and that he would surely respond the same way if I asked for three days. "Three days! That is such a long time. A lawyer as good as you can surely be ready in just a day."
Such theater continues to this day in his calendar calls which are legendary.
If the year was 2019 and you were unlucky enough to have a 2018 case he would call the case, repeat in amazement the year 2018. "How did this case get to be so old?" he would wonder out loud. And then address his courtroom deputy "what was I thinking the last time this case was on calendar? I must have been in a very good mood that day or distracted" and then turning to me he would say "I am sure, with all this time you are ready, right? I mean this case is soooo old." Yes the pressure was always there. But as a young lawyer in county court I learned so much from him. How to handle defeat. He would always say to me "you will lose bigger cases than this one." I look back on that and think of the lesson he was trying to teach. I will have a long career. Understand this case for what it is and is not and do not get caught up in the passions of the moment. Have perspective. An equally valuable lesson was to be magnanimous in victory. His sentences were fair. I recall a case- perhaps manslaughter and perhaps a second degree murder where after the trial the sentence was rightfully lower than the plea offer. How often does that happen in criminal court? I remember walking away from that sentencing and thinking this is what a real judge does. He does not threaten to use a calculator to find the highest sentence. I have so many more memories. He conducted a bench trial on a DUI where his former partner was the defense attorney. The conflict was disclosed and I waived it. He rightfully found the defendant guilty. Before hand everyone told me not to waive jury. I was in court on two famous occasions. When he wrote on the bench warrant "do not arrest on Sundays" for a dolphin wide receiver who failed to show up for court. And the time he continued a hearing in the morning, went home, got a child car seat from his home and gave it to the woman in court for her child when she said she couldn't afford one. I cannot think of a Judge who I have learned more from during my career. One last story. After leaving the state attorneys office I tried by first federal case before him. I introduced some evidence and began to approach the courtroom deputy. He called a side bar and whispered to me "in federal court you keep your evidence". He knew I was about to try and hand it to the deputy. I replied "I knew that" He replied "No you didn't" and he was right and he saved me from a small public embarrassment. He never missed a thing in court. I am glad he will still be serving our community, albeit on a limited basis. We cannot afford to lose a judge with his wisdom and experience.
So many words. Save it for your blog.
2:48 you made me laugh out loud for real. Good one!
How did I get dragged into this??
Let's call it a Knute Rockne or Ara Parseghian coaching tree out of respect for the former Chief.
Gerry Faust?
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