Two Bad Choices for Circuit Judge (18th Circuit, Group 14), But Boy Did I Pick One

Both tout their work for the NRA (which I guess is a prerequisite to become a judge in Florida these days). Brooke Goldfarb was classless enough to personally attack her opponent in a judicial race for doing her job; and Robin Lemonidis was clueless enough to argue Stand Your Ground for a clear homicide (Michael Dunn). I was just going to say No Endorsement because neither deserve the job, but what set me off was this mailer I received from Goldfarb's own campaign:

Opponent Robin Lemonidis has spent the last 20 years exclusively handling criminal defense matters, representing those accused of MURDER, CHILD MOLESTATION and OTHER FELONY AND MISDEMEANOR CRIMES.

(Caps were hers.)

I immediately became outraged at this statement--coming from a judicial candidate no less. Defense attorneys and public defenders are a critical part of our entire, revolutionary American judicial system. The idea, which I should not have to explain to someone who went to Harvard, is that prosecutors give everything they have to convict the accused, and the defense lawyer gives everything they have to free them. Every fact and piece of evidence that could be presented would have been presented, and the outcome is based on both sides giving it their all. This is as fair a system that anyone has come up with in hundreds of years. The outcomes are not always fair, but no one can say the process isn't.

To argue that the defense attorneys should be berated because of their huge role in this system is reprehensible.

The key word here is the word "accused". How dare she represent those accused of felonies and misdemeanors! If you or I are ever accused of a crime, we would call a lawyer. That's kind of how this works.

So I guess only innocent people should be represented by a defense attorney? Well, how the hell do we know they are innocent, Brooke? If only there was some sort of "trial" to determine innocence....

This means two things, Goldfarb is either extremely ignorant or worse, willfully tarnishing a critical role outlined in our founding documents for a slimy, disingenuous smear campaign. I don't care much for Robin Lemonidis, but I can't fault her for trying to use the stupid SYG law that gives many killers a way out. That's a problem with the actual law, which we desperately need to fix by throwing out the incumbents in my stupid state's executive and legislative branch. This is a big reason we need turnout in the midterm elections.

If there was a third option, I'd pick that person. But there isn't. This is a stunningly insulting line of attack, and for that I recommend voting against Brooke Deratany Goldfarb. Not much of an endorsement for Robin Lemonidis, but I'm going with the lessor of two bad choices.