Governor rejects white guys, pleads for more diverse applicants to replace DCA judge

UPDATE
The 5th DCA judicial nominating commission apparently didn't think much of the governor's diversity do over. In a letter, the JNC essentially told the governor to shove it and sent him the same exact finalists a second time. More to come when Inside Track gets the letter.
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Gov. Charlie Crist does not appear to be paying lip service to diversity.

On Monday, he reje cted a slate of six nominees to replace 5th District Court of Appeal Judge Robert Pleus Jr. because the list was not diverse enough.

"I have been advised that at least three well-qualified African-Americans applied for nomination," Crist wrote in his Dec. 1 letter to that Judicial Nominating Commission’s chairman, James Fallace. "Unfortunately none of these names were forwarded to me by the nominating commission, of which you chair."

Crist said these applicants included the chief judge of the Ninth Circuit, Judge Belvin Perry, and a Seventh Circuit judge.

Twenty-six candidates applied to the JNC. Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said the JNC selected six all-white finalists. Three of the candidates are lawyers; the other three are judges.

Ivey said Crist acted "to say, ‘Hey I’m pleading and asking for a more diverse applicant pool.’ … There was no diversity in the remaining six names that were forwarded to the governor." Ivey said this is the first time Crist had ever rejected a list.

Fallace did not return a call for comment.

Crist’s action comes at a time when South Florida legal groups are calling for more diversity among judicial appointments.

In October, Crist told the Supreme Court JNC that he is looking for a diverse pool of candidates that reflects "the racial, gender and geographic diversity of the people that they serve."

This letter came shortly after he appointed two white, male, conservative appellate court judges for the state’s highest court. At the time, Crist expressed concern at the lack of diversity in the eight finalists.

The pool of 18 candidates to replace Justice Harry Lee Anstead, who is retiring in January, will be whittled down following interviews early next week.

"Hopefully we’ll begin receiving a more diverse population on future nominations and we won’t have to take extraordinary measures," Ivey said.

Comments

[Legal News]

Everyone in the legal field needs to know one attorney. His name is Michael Gelfand of Gelfand & Arpe. This attorney has many judges in his pocket. Charlie Crist appointed Gelfand to nominate judges to the 15th District. Gelfand takes bribes to fix cases. Gelfand is also a Deadbeat to his employees. Gelfand owns Arc Mediation. Do not do business with his firm.

[Shannon McLin Carlyle]

Your article is inaccurate. The Governor did not reject "white guys" in attempting to undermine Florida's well-established judicial selection process. He also rejected two well qualified women for a court that, for over two years, has had only one woman, The Honorable Jacqueline R. Griffin.