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.

Judge William Hoeveler

 By John R. Byrne

I never practiced before Judge Hoeveler but he's another judge whose name often comes up when I hear lawyers talk about great trial judges. His claim to judicial fame, of course, was presiding over the trial of General Manuel Noriega. And even Noriega was impressed. He told the judge, "The one shining light through this legal nightmare has been your honor. You have acted as honest and fair as anyone can hope for."

Some other quotes about the judge:

• Judge Eugene Spellman: “I call him the biblical judge. He has the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job.”

• Judge Fay (on Hoeveler as a trial lawyer): "Smart, witty, and extremely handsome, he was impossible to deal with in front of a jury. Always the courtly and courteous lawyer, he was adored by judges and jurors alike. Try making a living trying cases against a guy like that!”

• Attorney Aaron Podhurst: "He acted like Abe Lincoln. He never raised his voice, and he was a fabulous lawyer, and he was a great trial judge."

• The Miami Herald called him "The Court's Mister Clean" and The Miami News rated him the "The Best Judge in Town."

And then there's this story, recounted in this excellent FBA profile on the judge: 

"Before one of the many drug importation trials he presided over, a defense attorney told the judge that the defendant was still in a jail uniform and needed a few minutes to change. The judge stood up, took off his sweater and handed it to the attorney, saying 'Make sure he’s seated when the jury comes in, and he’ll look fine in this. I hope he likes blue.'" 

So, yes, Judge Hoeveler was the kind of man who'd give you the shirt off his back.

FBA write-up below:

Judge William Hoeveler was nominated by President Carter to the district court, where he served from 1977 to 2017. Hoeveler enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and served a tour of duty in the Pacific as a lieutenant from 1942 to 1946. Judge Hoeveler presided over several notable matters, including the Elian Gonzalez proceedings and the 1991 trial of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who was convicted on multiple counts of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering. United States v. Noriega, 746 F. Supp. 1506 (S.D. Fla. 1990), aff'd, 117 F.3d 1206 (11th Cir. 1997). 

Trial starts today in the case involving the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse

Jury selection starts with Judge Becerra this morning.  The AP covers it here:

Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kidnap or kill Haiti’s former leader, plus related charges. They face possible life sentences. They all pleaded not guilty.

Christian Sanon was set to go on trial, but his attorney confirmed Monday that Sanon’s case was severed from the others because of medical reasons. A separate trial for Sanon will be scheduled for a later date.

The trial against all five defendants was previously set for last year, but U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra in Miami agreed to delay the case because of discovery challenges and the large volume of evidence.

Five others have already pleaded guilty in the conspiracy and are serving life sentences. A sixth person, who officials believe didn’t know about the assassination plot, was sentenced to nine years behind bars after pleading guilty to providing body armor to the conspirators.

Lindsey Halligan is NOT under investigation by the Florida Bar!

 That's what the Florida Bar is saying after first saying she was under investigation.  How odd.

Here's Bloomberg discussing the about-face:

The Florida Bar said it mistakenly wrote in a letter last month that it was investigating former Virginia US Attorney Lindsey Halligan.

The reversal Friday comes a day after the ethics nonprofit Campaign for Accountability announced having received a Feb. 4 letter from the state’s attorney disciplinary authority confirming an “investigation pending” in response to its complaint about Halligan.

“The Florida Bar wrote a letter to the complainant erroneously stating that there is a pending Bar investigation of member Lindsey Halligan. There is no such pending Bar investigation of Lindsey Halligan,” said spokesperson Jennifer Krell Davis. “The Florida Bar received a complaint against Lindsey Halligan and, consistent with standard practice, the Bar is monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings underlying the complaint.”

The Campaign for Accountability had sought a probe into Halligan’s potentially false statements while prosecuting former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), as head of the Eastern District of Virginia’s US Attorney’s Office.

“CfA has not heard directly from the Florida Bar, but it’s hard to reconcile this latest statement with the bar counsel’s previous letter saying there is an investigation pending,” said the group’s Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith, in a statement. “If there is no longer an investigation into Halligan, the question is why not, given that three judges indicated she engaged in conduct that appears to violate ethics rules.”

Congrats to Jordi Martinez-Cid on his CABA Presidency!

 By John R. Byrne

Congrats to blog contributor Jordi Martinez-Cid who is now president of the Cuban American Bar Association. The gala--considered one of the best annual "lawyer" parties in Miami--was this past Saturday at Jungle Island. Judge Becerra introduced the event, and Judge Moreno, whom Jordi clerked for, swore in the new board.

The event also made news based on comments made at the gala by Mike Hammer, currently the top US diplomat in Cuba. Hammer predicted that Cuba's dictatorship will end this year. Herald covers it here.