SDFLA News and Notes

By John R. Byrne

1. Judge Altman has given speeches across the country about Israeli history as well as its legal system (and also has written a book about these issues that will be published in March). Based in part on those efforts, The Jerusalem Post recently listed him as one of 25 Young Visionaries. Write up can be found here.

2. To celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, our local chapter of the Federal Bar Association has arranged for a private tour of Miami's Freedom Tower on Wednesday, October 8th at 3 p.m. This is for judges and attorneys only. You can RSVP here. 

3. A few days ago, the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Trump, Ryan Wesley Routh, was convicted. He defended himself in the case, which (predictably) led to a fair number of strange moments. The DOJ tapped AUSA Christopher Browne to deliver the closing argument for the government. Referring to a note Routh wrote before he was arrested, Browne told the jury that "It is not every case where the defendant writes his intent down on a piece of paper." The note, which Routh had left in a box at a friend's home, was addressed "To the World" and stated, "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump." NBC covers the case here. 

4. Random bit of non-legal trivia for you. Publix celebrates its 95th anniversary this year. Ever wonder where the name came from? Its founder, George Jenkins, took the name from a chain of movie theaters that were operating in Florida at the time. Jenkins wrote in his memoir, "Most of them were closing up, and I liked the sound of the name so I just took it for my store." 

Bloggers Unite! (UPDATED)

Well, even though I'm in trial, I couldn't pass this story up. Apparently AUSA Will Rosenzwieg was fired for running an anti-Trump blog:

 

SCOOP:

DOJ sources tell me that Assistant US Attorney Will Rosenzweig was FIRED yesterday after he was exposed for running an anti-Trump blog.

He was working in the Healthcare fraud unit at the DOJ in Miami, Florida. https://t.co/1VdnFe1c0E

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 24, 2025

Uh oh.  A few more of the supposed details here at the FB page embedded in the Loomer tweet.   

I can't find the blog, but if anyone has a link, please post it in the comments. And if Will wants to comment on what happened, I will certainly post it above the fold.

 More details as I find them out. 

UPDATE -- Here is the feed from the person who broke the story and it has some of the blog posts there. 

Want to Be a Magistrate Judge?

By John R. Byrne

Yesterday, the Court announced a magistrate judge opening in Miami. You can apply here. 

As I understand it, this is technically for Judge Valle's seat, which will be open when she retires in January. Though Judge Valle is based in Fort Lauderdale, Judge Shaw-Wilder, who took Judge Goodman's vacant seat, is currently sitting there. 

We're really going to miss Judge Valle. In addition to being an excellent judge, she had what I think were the best procedures for handling discovery disputes, which is where all the fun is had in civil litigation. 

Slow blogging

 I'm sorry I haven't been on top of the blog recently.  I just started a 3 month civil trial yesterday in Broward.  You civil lawyers are something else! So I really want to thank John and Jordi for their contributions and I'm sure you'll be seeing more of their posts in the coming weeks.

 

In the meantime, did you see that Trump picked Lindsey Halligan to be the interim U.S. Attorney in Virginia.   You may recall that Trump hired her as local counsel during the documents case but she was unable to file because of a PACER snafu.  She started the drive to Miami to file her pleading but the traffic was too much and she wasn't going to make it, so she turned around and filed in Ft. Pierce. The rest is history.  Or so the story goes.  

Hispanic Heritage Event: Our Night at the Museum

 By Jordi C. Martínez-Cid

The Southern District of Florida hosted its yearly Hispanic heritage event yesterday. The event featured Chief Judge Altonaga interviewing former CEO of HistoryMiami and current director of the Smithsonian American Museum of the American Latino, Jorge Zamanillo. Some version of the Museum of the American Latino has been contemplated since the 90s, but the museum has still not been built. It did, however, have its first official exhibit, ¡Presente!, in June 2022, albeit at the National Museum of American History. Funds are still being collected for the future building which hopes to be located in the National Mall.

The event was organized by Hispanic Heritage Committee Co-Chairs Judge López-Castro and AUSA Yeney Hernández. Kudos to them and the rest of the committee for another wonderful event, which always features an extravagant spread afterwards.

Local FBA Chapter Scores Some National Awards

 By John R. Byrne

Our local Federal Bar Association chapter received two national awards at the national convention held in Minneapolis this past Friday and Saturday (the Presidential Excellence Award for the organization's programming and the Outstanding Newsletter Award for, you guessed it, the newsletter). Pictured below is past President Stephanie Turk holding said awards (other guy pictured is the outgoing National FBA president). 

If you haven't yet, get your tickets for the FBA's Annual Awards & Installation gala, which will be held on Saturday, September 27th. You can buy them here. This is always one of the year's best lawyer events to attend and is being held at the revamped Mayfair hotel in the Grove. 

FOR THE DEFENSE WITH CNN'S ELIE HONIG

 We've got a new pod for you and it's a fun one.  Elie Honig sits down with me to talk about the intersection of law, media, and justice — and his new book, When You Come At The King.  It's a great read and I highly recommend it. 

Here's the release for the episode:  Elie Honig, CNN senior legal analyst, bestselling author, and former federal prosecutor, joins David Oscar Markus for a wide-ranging conversation about how the media shapes public understanding of criminal justice. From his time prosecuting mob cases in the SDNY to becoming one of TV’s most trusted voices on legal issues, Honig shares what he’s learned about storytelling in the courtroom — and in front of the camera.

They cover everything from the rise of “celebrity prosecutors,” to whether cameras belong in the courtroom, to how defense lawyers should respond to DOJ press releases and media narratives. Plus, Honig talks about the writing of his latest book, including the behind-the-scenes research that uncovered some of the wildest stories from the Justice Department’s history.

 You can listen to the episode on Apple, Spotify, or on your computer.  You can also watch it on YouTube.

Here's a little clip:

 

2025 Bench & Bar Conference

By Jordi C. Martínez-Cid

The Bench & Bar Conference returned to the Miami Beach Convention Center last Friday, and drew a packed house of lawyers and judges. It offered a full day of programming and networking opportunities, including panels analyzing recent Supreme Court decisions, free speech on college campuses, and all manner of topics relevant to the practice of law, ranging from discussion of local rules to the obligatory panel on artificial intelligence. Fancy coffee, as displayed by the Chief Judge, was consumed.

Best-selling local novelist Brad Meltzer gave the keynote speech during lunch, delivering a version of his viral Make Magic commencement address.

The event was hosted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the South Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association with special recognition due to Judge Altman, Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman, and Stephanie Casey for organizing.

RIP Larry Hoffman and Dave Coulson

It's been an awful stretch for legal legends in Miami.  We lost two more this week -- Founding partner of Greenberg Traurig, Larry Hoffman, and Winston & Strawn's partner, Dave Coulson.

 

More about Hoffman:

Larry J. Hoffman, one of three co-founders of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., with Mel Greenberg and Robert Traurig, played a key role in charting the firm’s course from its Miami inception in 1967 to its growth today as a global law firm with more than 2,850 lawyers worldwide and 49 locations on four continents. Larry passed away Sept. 11 at his Coconut Grove home, just weeks after his 95th birthday.

Larry’s prescient plan for building a global law firm proved so successful that Greenberg Traurig became the example other law firms follow. He was a leader in the profession who recognized the need to bring a business-minded approach to managing a law firm – a concept that today has become universal.

A successful business owner prior to practicing law, Larry pioneered the concept of running a law firm like a business. He was one of the first law firm leaders to hire experienced professionals to manage the business side of the firm so lawyers could focus on practicing law. He created staff positions in the roles of marketing, professional development, and IT long before they were commonplace in law firms.

 

More about Coulson:

David Andrew Coulson passed away unexpectedly on September 8, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA, while on his way back to Miami from a dream vacation in Italy with the love of his life, his wife Jeannie Etter Coulson. He is survived by Jeannie and their twin children, Chloe Coulson and Connor Coulson, each just starting college. David spoke of his children often, to anyone who would listenso proud of all their accomplishments in school, on the field, or on the golf course. His family, friends and colleagues are so saddened by his sudden loss.

David had a full and inspiring life, which ended way too quickly. He was loved by all who knew him. He was 62 years old, born on October 11, 1962, in Elgin, Illinois to Alan J. Coulson and Carol Y. (Aurand) Coulson, both deceased. He graduated from Larkin High School in Elgin, IL, and then attended and graduated from the University of Miami in 1985. From there, he went on to attend and graduate from Harvard Law School in 1988. He was especially proud that, after law school, he had clerked for the Honorable Stanley Marcus when he was Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

 

Lord Stanley makes an appearance in Judge Gayles' chambers