Showing posts with label Hugo Black III. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hugo Black III. Show all posts

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Hugo Black funeral

The U.S. Attorney's Office asked me to post this information regarding the funeral arrangements for Hugo Black:

A memorial service for Hugo L. Black III will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church on Sunday, October 7, beginning at 2:00 p.m. A reception will follow in Davis Hall, also located on Plymouth's campus.

Plymouth Congregational Church
3400 Devon Road
Coconut Grove
www.plymouthmiami.com

There are some very nice comments about Hugo here.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

News and Notes


1. More on the tragic death of Hugo Black III here from Julie Kay. There are some really nice comments in this post about Hugo. Feel free to add your memories of him. That's a picture of Hugo to the left.

2. We posted earlier about Jack Thompson upsetting Judge Jordan. Thompson has filed at least 14 responses to Judge Jordan's order. In one, he tells U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta to investigate Norm Kent: “You have no choice but to initiate a criminal investigation into this individual and if you do not so proceed by Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 5:00 p.m., I shall proceed to secure a federal court order to compel you to do so.” Judge Jordan issued another order on Monday (posted here, courtesy of GamePolitics), saying that Thompson does not have “a free reign to unnecessarily flood the docket in this case with a series of motions…that have no bearing on the issues in dispute in this case.” The Judge added that while Thompson “may have think this case is a war with the world regarding the state of moral standards, it is not.” The court does not have “jurisdiction over moral standards.” Stay tuned.... UPDATE -- GamePolitics has all the goods here, including Thompson's most recent response.
3. The Supreme Court hears argument today in two big sentencing cases -- Gall and Kimbrough. These cases are being watched closely by prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges because they will affect judge's discretion at sentencing. Early prediction -- defense wins on both cases, which will give district judges the full range of discretion they should have at sentencing. Here's an article discussing both cases, and you can always get more info at the best Supreme Court website -- scotusblog.com.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

AUSA Hugo Black III passed away this weekend

I am sorry to report that Hugo Black III suddenly passed away this weekend.

I saw Hugo recently and he appeared to be in good health and good spirits; this is a shock.

As the person who emailed me with this sad news said, "Hugo was one of the good ones. He was thoughtful, hardworking, fair, and a complete gentleman. He never spoke ill of anyone, was diligent in his work, and a good friend to his colleagues. Those who had the pleasure of working with him in the District I suspect came away with the same impression."

I couldn't say it better myself. I've worked with Hugo on a number of cases and he was exactly what a prosecutor should be -- fair and open-minded. He was always quick to say hello and ask how you were doing. He liked talking about his cases and he really loved the camaraderie in the U.S. Attorney's office.

Hugo was the grandson of the great Justice with the same name.

This is really sad news. I am going to open up the comments section to allow you to post your memories of Hugo, and I will post the funeral arrangements as soon as I hear of them.

UPDATED -- here is the obit, written by Jay Weaver, which includes the funeral arrangements:

Hugo L. Black III, a highly regarded Miami federal prosecutor and grandson of a former U.S. Supreme Court justice, died Saturday. He was 54.
Black died unexpectedly from gastrointestinal bleeding at his home in Coconut Grove, according to colleagues at the U.S. Attorney's Office.
''One of our dearest colleagues passed away on Saturday,'' said Eric Bustillo, chief of the office's economic and environmental crimes section.
``We're all very saddened by Hugo's death. He was an outstanding lawyer and an incredible guy.''
Black grew up in Miami, graduating from Palmetto High School and Yale University.
He obtained his law degree from Stanford University and clerked for the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
He later became a partner with a Los Angeles firm that specialized in entertainment law.
But he yearned to return home to Miami and in 1995 joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Florida, Bustillo said. He prosecuted major white collar fraud cases in the healthcare, banking and securities industries.
''He was one of our most valued lawyers,'' said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sloman.
Black is survived by his wife, Jeannine Black; his father, lawyer Hugo L. Black Jr. of Miami; his sisters, Elizabeth Black of Australia and Margaret Black of California.
The family is holding a memorial service at Plymouth Congregational Church in Coconut Grove at 2 p.m. Sunday.