By John R. Byrne
Before he retired, my dad was a longtime lawyer here in Miami who worked downtown. One day, while making his morning pilgrimage north on US-1, his car unexpectedly broke down. As he stood stranded on the sidewalk, wearing a full suit in sweltering heat, another car pulled over. The driver rolled down the window, and said, "Hey, Bob, looks like you're in a bit of bind. Can I give you a lift?"
The driver was Bob Martinez. My dad and Bob weren't longtime friends. In fact, they'd only met once or twice before (I think my dad was surprised that Bob remembered his name). But that tells you a lot about the kind of guy Bob is. Yes, he's one of our living legal legends. US Attorney under President George H.W. Bush. A distinguished career in private practice at one of our country’s best Plaintiff’s firms, Colson Hicks Eidson, where he most recently helped secure a victory at the United States Supreme Court. But, at his core, he's a person who wants to help people. And, now, he is focusing on an issue where his help is needed: the security of our federal judges.
Threats against our judges are at an all-time high. And it’s an equal opportunity danger. Judges appointed by Republicans have been threatened. Judges appointed by Democrats have been threatened. And it seems like every day it gets worse. It’s unclear what we can do about it. But that’s not stopping Bob. Aided by Judges Bloom and Seitz, Bob has recruited a team of lawyers to tackle this issue. The idea is for the lawyers to come together and brainstorm different approaches to addressing this alarming trend. My own idea is sort of a “scared straight” approach. A series of short, social media-friendly ads that, in stark terms, informs the public of the serious criminal consequences that flow from threatening a judge. I'd like to think that targeted social media advertising could get that message to some of the people who most need to hear it.
Check out Bob's recent op-ed on this topic in the Miami Herald. And if you have ideas about how to help, please contact Bob at bob@colson.com.
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