Announcements
In an effort to offer litigants with pending jury trials greater access to the courts, litigants with pending cases in the circuit civil division may place cases on the 17th Judicial Circuit’s Ready for Trial Docket. The Ready for Trial Docket will afford litigants and their counsel the opportunity to place any circuit civil case to be tried by a jury on a trial docket. The case may or may not be under a current trial order but, the parties through their counsel shall stipulate the case meets all criteria to be placed on the Ready for Trial Docket.
The parties may specify a date certain period they wish their case to proceed to trial. If a judge becomes available during their specified time the case will proceed to trial. If the parties specify a date certain for trial and no judge is available, the case will be returned to the division judge. No party will be required to proceed to trial if their case is not reached within their specified time. Nothing precludes the parties from resubmitting the case, if not reached at their specified time, on future Ready for Trial Dockets.
To be placed on the Ready for Trial Docket the case must meet ALL of the following criteria:
- All counsel of record and any self-represented party must sign a stipulation acknowledging the case meets the Ready for Trial Docket criteria and is ready for trial.
- The case must be pending in the circuit civil division.
- The case will be tried within (7) court trial days.
- The case is a jury trial.
- The parties either are under a current trial order or stipulate they are ready for trial and all witnesses and trial exhibits to be used at trial have been disclosed.
- The parties will have mediated the case before trial.
- No dispositive or Daubert motions are pending with the courts.
Senior Judge Joel Lazarus was honored with the Florida Law Related Education Association’s 2013 Outstanding Service Award for his many years of dedication to educating Florida’s youth. The award recognizes “lifetime achievements in the advancement and promotion of law related education and exemplary leadership in Florida’s high school mock trial program.”
Throughout his legal career, Judge Lazarus has been active in many community education programs and initiatives both locally and state-wide, from the beginning of Fort Lauderdale High School’s Mock Trial program to advising and judging competitions all over Florida. His advice to young attorneys and law students is the same he follows himself…”The best way to get involved is through education.”
Congratulations Judge Lazarus!
The 17th Judicial Circuit today announces the creation of three judge panels to preside over county to circuit civil appeals. Beginning July 1, 2013 all county civil appeals appealed from the county court to the circuit court will be heard by three judge panels. In addition to county civil appeals, three judge panels will also preside over petitions for extraordinary writs seeking mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, prohibition or habeas corpus whether the appeal originates from county civil or county criminal.
Three judge panels provide a more efficient and timely disposition to pending appeals; assure more streamlined and consistent decisions; and bring the 17th judicial circuit in line with every other circuit in this state.
Effective July 1, 2013 individual civil division judges will no longer handle county to circuit appeals. All cases will be decided by three judge panels.
Administrative order 2013-25 Gen creating and establishing three judge panels can be found at www.17th.flcourts.org.
Peter M. Weinstein was chosen to lead the 17th Judicial Circuit today for a second appointment as Chief Judge of the state’s second-largest circuit court system. Voted in by a majority of the 90 judges serving Broward County, Judge Weinstein officially begins his new term July 1, 2013.
First elected as Chief in February 2011, Judge Weinstein brings a wealth of experience and leadership to his role. “I’m very proud of the advances we’ve made over the last two years, including the creation of a Veterans Treatment Court and implementing electronic filing,” he says. “As Chief Judge, I plan to continue efforts to improve the online capabilities of our courts, and work on new initiatives such as Homeless Court.”
Of the vote of confidence his re-election signifies, Chief Judge Weinstein says, “I am truly honored to once again lead the distinguished judges and magistrates of this circuit. The many accomplishments this court has seen is a clear reflection of their dedication to our justice system.”
Nine new judges were officially sworn in to serve the 17th Judicial Circuit in an afternoon robing ceremony, Friday, January 18, 2013. Chief Judge Peter M. Weinstein presided over the ceremony, welcoming both circuit and county court judges to the bench.
Those honored are:
Circuit Judges – Tim Bailey (Family); Ari Abraham Porth (Mental Health/Drug Court); Lynn Rosenthal (Criminal); Michael I. Rothschild (Criminal); Elizabeth A. Scherer (Juvenile Dependency); Laura M. Watson (Family)
County Judges – Christopher Pole (Criminal); Kathleen McHugh (Domestic Violence); Olga Levine (Criminal)
The 17th Circuit welcomes all our new judges!
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The 17th Judicial Circuit is proud to recognize Senior Judge Joel Lazarus and County Court Judge Gisele Pollack, who were honored at the Broward County Crime Commission’s 33rd annual Criminal Justice Dinner on October 18, 2012.
Receiving the Frank R. Pinter Lifetime Achievement Award was Judge Lazarus, who was cited as the “consummate Criminal Justice representative in Broward County” for his many years of service in the legal field, including his time as a prosecutor and the nearly two decades he’s spent on the bench.
Judge Pollack received the Justice Leadership Award for her role as the circuit’s misdemeanor drug court judge.
Due to Tropical Storm Issac and the subsequent closure of the 17th Judicial Circuit court system on August 27, 2012, the Florida Supreme Court has issued the following Administrative Order for an Emergency Request to Extend Time Periods Under All Florida Rules of Procedure for Broward County.
http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/clerk/adminorders/2012/AOSC12-40.pdf
Less than one month after being appointed to a circuit court judicial vacancy by Governor Rick Scott, Lynn Rosenthal was sworn in as the 17th Judicial Circuit’s newest judge on August 1, 2012.
Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Rosenthal served as an Assistant United States Attorney for 27 years, prosecuting a variety of federal crimes, as well as serving in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Before that, the University of Florida graduate worked in private law firms as as associate attorney.
In the 17th, Judge Rosenthal will serve in the Family division, overseeing juvenile dependency cases.
Welcome to the 17th Circuit Judge Rosenthal!
