The portrait project launched by the South Florida Chapter of the FBA continues this week with a focus on Senior Judge James Lawrence King. President Nixon nominated Judge King to the bench in 1970 and he's been serving ever since, going on 55-plus years now, which is just an incredible run. In 1996, Congress designated the Miami Federal Justice Building as the "James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building" (which most everyone just calls the "King Building"). With that many years on the bench, Judge King's clerkship family is quite large and several of his law clerks have gone on to impressive careers here in Miami.
FBA write up below:
Judge James L. King is the first of our featured judges who is still serving our district as a senior judge. Judge King is a Miami native. He graduated from Redlands High School before attending the University of Florida for both his undergraduate and law degrees. Judge King served in the Air Force as a Judge Advocate General and then entered private practice. He was nominated to the district court by President Nixon in 1970. Judge King has written many notable rulings in his time on the bench, including ruling in Alexandre v. Republic of Cuba, 996 F. Supp. 1239 (Dec. 17, 1997), that relatives of the Brothers to the Rescue pilots shot down by the Cuban Air Force could sue Cuba for wrongful death. On April 30, 1996, the United States Congress renamed the Federal Justice Building at 99 N.E. 4th Street in Miami the James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building.
One of the best. Smart, pragmatic, no nonsense. Always a pleasure whenever I had a case before him.
ReplyDeleteGreat judge, though his application of hearsay harkens back to another era. When said in the presence of the opposing party, a statement is not hearsay. Be sure to know the first rule of evidence - when the judge is speaking (even if it's not audible or clear that s/he is), everyone else must be quiet.
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