- Trump will select between 2-4 Justices. William Pryor stands a good chance of being Justice Pryor. Federico Moreno also made Trump's short list.
- Who will be Attorney General? Rudy Guliani? (I think it's less likely it will be Christie after the Bridgegate convictions, but who knows).
- If HRC had won, there was talk that U.S. Attorney Ferrer would stay on (or that Joan Silverstein would become U.S. Attorney), but that won't happen now. Any thoughts on who Trump names? Jon Sale? (he would be great).
- There are going to be a bunch of open district court seats in the District. Who gets those slots?
The SDFLA Blog is dedicated to providing news and notes regarding federal practice in the Southern District of Florida. The New Times calls the blog "the definitive source on South Florida's federal court system." All tips on court happenings are welcome and will remain anonymous. Please email David Markus at dmarkus@markuslaw.com
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
How will a Trump presidency affect the SDFLA and the Supreme Court
Tuesday, November 08, 2016
Monday, November 07, 2016
RIP Janet Reno, Guest Post by John Kozyak
RIP Janet Reno, Guest Post by John Kozyak
Janet Reno passed away this morning after living with
Parkinson’s Disease for more twenty years. I had the privilege of being
Janet’s friend and I am so grateful that I had a chance to say good-bye several
times over the weekend. Some said that she was enjoying all the love in
her house, which had been built by her Mother. Others said she was waiting
until Hilary was elected the first woman President and others acknowledged that
this brave woman had never given in easily to anything in her 78 years.
The NY Times already has an obituary online, which provides a glimpse into the public part of Janet’s life. I
particularly like “Ms. Reno was never a natural fit in Washington’s
backslapping, backstabbing culture.” In
this ugly election, this might be one of the best compliments for a strong, brave
woman, who approached each day of her life wanting to do the right thing. She
did so much better than the rest of us and that is why she is
legend to me and many.
I had no familiarity to Parkinson’s Disease when I first
met Janet 40 years ago or when she was diagnosed in 1995, but I sure did after
my Mother found out she had it about 14 years ago and my Father received the
same news 3 years later. I will never forget telling Janet and having her
comfort me. She gave her phone number for my Mother to call her. My Mother
loved the photograph that Janet signed and loved her visits with her. Janet
lived gracefully with Parkinson’s until fairly recently. She continued as the
Attorney General and tried to beat Jeb Bush as Governor. She set an example for
people living with Parkinson’s and she set an example for so many more to live
life to the fullest , to be humble and to do the “right thing”.
She certainly set an example for women. After graduating
from Harvard Law, she had difficulty even obtaining a legal job because of her
gender and she went on to become the longest serving Attorney General in the
United States. When she came to the Minority Mentoring Picnic, young women law
students and everyone else loved being with her. She spoke often with encouragement
and sincerity. I never heard her complain about the gender discrimination or
her Parkinson’s.
For the past 3-4 years, Janet has been the Honorary Chair
of the National Parkinson Foundation’s Moving Day in Miami. She and her family
joined with mine to form Team Kozyak & Reno, which usually had the most
walkers. Moving Day will take place in Miami this Sunday, November 13th
in Museum Park in Miami. Janet’s health did not permit her to attend last year,
but I am positive her niece, Hunter and her daughters and other friends will
join Janny in spirit. I’d be honored if you’d walk with Team Kozyak& Reno this coming Sunday morning.
This is not a solicitation for donations, but more
of a request for a group hug in honor of a wonderful woman. I am sharing two
photos of Janet at Moving Day two years ago. I love the first one with her
sister, Maggy. Sorry that it doesn’t include Hunter’s face, but she is
behind Janet.
I could not be more proud that the Reno family has been
so supportive and welcoming. I will never, ever forget sitting in Janet’s
bedroom on Friday night while her sister, Maggy, her nephew , Doug, niece ,
Hunter, and several others recited long poems with such enthusiasm. I had
learned that this was a family tradition when Janet’s brother, Mark, passed
away 2 years ago. It was amazing. Yesterday, I barely missed a small group
holding hands around Janet’s bed and singing “God Bless America”. It was not
easy saying good-bye yesterday, but the love in the Reno home helped so much.
I don’t want to tell my Mother that Janet Reno has passed
and think it is best to wait until I see her next week in St. Louis.
Love,
John
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
"I don't know what's happening at the U.S. Attorney's Office. This is the latest of a series of incidents that is affecting the credibility of this office ... Someone has got to look at this thing … There's a problem here that needs to be rectified in some way."
That was Judge Darrin Gayles in a strong rebuke of his former office. We wrote about this latest in a string of prosecutorial misconduct cases on the blog here. Paula McMahon covers the judge's decision, which was delivered orally (there is no written order) in this article:
A bizarre South Florida case involving an indicted fraud suspect who spied on his co-defendants — and their lawyers — after secretly making a plea deal led a federal judge to blast the U.S. Attorney's Office for letting it happen.
After two days of hearings on the allegations against the "mole," his lawyer and the prosecution, U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles issued a blistering ruling in court in Miami late Tuesday. He barred the man from testifying against his co-defendants when they go to trial in May and strongly criticized federal prosecutors' "extraordinary" handling of the matter.
***
The defense asked the judge to punish the prosecution by throwing out the charges against Pisoni, Pradel and Ramirez. The judge said prosecutors previously had so much evidence that it was impossible for him to rule that Leon's actions affected the case enough to dismiss the charges against the other three.
But the judge expressed shock that the prosecution was still considering letting Leon testify, in some limited way, in trial against the other three men.
"If the government isn't willing to bar him, I will," Judge Gayles said, ruling Leon was prohibited from testifying.
Prosecutors told the judge they regretted not running the decision about how to handle Leon up the chain of command at their office but said they thought what they did was allowed by law. The judge said they should have, at a minimum, consulted their bosses and sought the judge's explicit approval.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer declined to comment because the case is pending. Officials also declined to say if any disciplinary investigation is underway or anticipated.
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