On Friday, June 14, 2019, the Seventeenth Circuit celebrated the investiture of Judge Mariya Weekes, circuit court judge serving in the felony criminal division. She was sworn in by Chief Judge Jack Tuter, and robed by her husband and children.
Congratulations Judge Weekes!
New self-help video assists pro-se litigants in preparing for their day in civil court.
The Broward County Judicial Assistants Association held their installation luncheon last week, naming four new board members. President Kim Oliva, Vice-President Christine Kortabani, Secretary Lizette Marciniak, and Treasurer Claudia Lopez.
Thank you to all the judicial assistants for the hard work you do every day to help keep the courts running smoothly!
Judge Barner, Judge Bowman and Judge Davis served as panel members for the National Business Institute’s “Civil Court Judicial Forum: Advanced Discovery and Trial Practice” seminar held last week in Fort Lauderdale. The discussion centered around the “do’s and don’ts of discovery and trial practice civil court judges want you to know” and offered continuing learning education credits for those in attendance.
Today, June 19, 2019, the Seventeenth Circuit and Broward County celebrated the naming of the “Judge Thomas J. “TJ” Reddick, Jr. North Building” in the central courthouse.
Judge Reddick was a trailblazer in the black community in Broward. He was the first black attorney to open an office and practice law in the county, be appointed to the Broward County Court of Record, and be elected as a Circuit Court judge in Florida.
More than 100 children participating in the Broward Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Explorers program came to visit the central courthouse last Friday. The group spent the morning visiting several different courtrooms and ended the visit with a special presentation by Chief Judge Jack Tuter. Other judges who were involved are: Judge Siegel, Judge Orlando, Judge Kollra, Judge Towbin Singer, Judge Duffy, Judge Usan, Judge Rebollo, Judge Pole, Judge Carpenter-Toye and Judge Kaplan.
The explorers academy works with teens and young adults (14-20 years of age) by allowing them to interact with law enforcement and other community advisors, giving them the opportunity to learn and experience lawful citizenship as they participate side-by-side with law enforcement deputies and civilian personnel in on-going training and community service projects.
The Young Lawyers Section of the Broward County Bar Association held a “Breakfast with the Judiciary” event last Friday, in the central courthouse’s law library. The event offers a relaxed environment in which new attorneys and judges in the Seventeenth Circuit can talk.
Judge Barner and other representatives of Community Court recently traveled to New York City to visit the Centers for Court Innovation, to learn more about, and exchange ideas on, Community Court initiatives across the nation.
The Seventeenth Circuit began its Community Court earlier this year, and is seeing great success with the program!
Fifteen high school students from JP Taravella High School’s Police Academy visited the central courthouse to observe different courts in session and to tour the BSO Crime Lab. The program is designed for selected students who are interested in law enforcement and public safety and their visit was a result of their criminal law and the courts process studies.
Last week, many of the circuit’s newest judges met with more senior judges who volunteer to mentor those new to the bench. The judicial mentor program in the Seventeenth Circuit is led by Judge Greene.
On Friday, Judge Levenson had the pleasure of swearing his former intern, Tori Taravella, into the Bar.
Judge Diaz’s courtroom was at capacity last week as this summer’s law school interns gathered to hear from the Broward County Public Defender, Howard Finkelstein. Both the judge and the public defender offered many words of advice for the law students.
Last week, the Broward County Bar Association Probate Section hosted a Probate Roundtable at the central courthouse. Probate judges and staff attorneys in the probate division discussed various topics and held a question and answer session with attendees.
