Crist has it right on those judicial nominations.

[The Backlash Cometh]

Crist rejected a list of six judicial nominations because it was the usual old white guy picks. He stated that he knew there were qualified black judges who applied and wanted them vetted. The nomination committee basically told him to go pound sand.

I wish there was some way to tell Crist he's on the right track, because Florida's judicial system is completely tainted. The good ole boy system is entrenched in the legal field and anyone that goes through the trouble of following their networks finally comes away believing that the exposure isn't worth the money spent to be illegally herded into a box canyon, or the fear of retaliation.

So, you go, Crist. And tell those good ole boy lawyers to SHOVE IT! All they care about it protecting the "institutional malfeasance" that's a way of life in Florida. In fact, I'd like to see the list of names so I can do some research and make up my own mind.



Gov. Crist, lawyers argue over diversity of 6 judicial nominees

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist this week rejected six nominees submitted to him for an open seat on the 5th District Court of Appeal, saying the list wasn't sufficiently diverse because it contained no black nominees.

But instead of giving him a new list, a nominating commission of Central Florida lawyers took the unorthodox step of telling the governor to, in effect, pound sand.

Melbourne lawyer James Fallace, chairman of the commission, wrote to Crist on Thursday that after more "deliberation," it would resend the same names.

"It is the firm opinion and belief of our Commission that the above-named list of nominees certified to you on Nov. 6, 2008 . . . consists of the most qualified applications for nomination and your consideration for the current vacancy," Fallace wrote.

Crist has taken some heat over the diversity of his judicial appointments since he named two white men to vacancies on the Florida Supreme Court, including one created by the resignation of a Hispanic judge.

Monday, the governor sent back the six nominees to the Judicial Nominating Commission for Central Florida's 5th District. He complained that the list submitted for an opening on the Daytona Beach-based court of appeals excluded "at least three well-qualified" black candidates who were among the 26 that applied.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. This thing is heating up

How difficult can this be? The current judicial system is corrupted. The good ole boys are in control and they have hijacked the judicial system and become the legal authority in their local communities.
There is only way to break this cycle, and that's to enlist members who are not part of their circles.

Rouson: Minority lawyers need to stand up for Crist


State Rep. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat, lawyer and president of his local NAACP chapter, says more minority lawyers need to applaud Gov. Charlie Crist's controversial move to send back two recent slates of judicial nominees because they weren't racially diverse enough.

Rouson was responding to a story out Monday that a group of lawyers is considering legal action following the governor's unorthodox actions.

"It is less talked about but not less known, that some of the Judical Nominating Commissions have bottlenecked diversity and hidden behind spurious excuses to send up panels that appear fair but it has been exclusionary. And why? Is it local politics at its best?" Rouson said Tuesday in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel.

"Isn't the Governor elected by the entire citizenry to check and balance the system? I know that there is a sentiment amongst minority lawyers that competency alone will not get them through the JNC for an interview with the Governor. I don't know how many of them will state that on the record but talk with them privately about it and they will tell you.

"It takes courage on the Governor's part to send a panel back. I support his sending it back. I hope that every minority group, from Hispanic to African American, from the NAACP to the Hispanic Bar Associations, will speak out strongly on this issue and make their voices heard."

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/