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Broward Judge Called Out By Blog Owner At Live Hearing Over Court Access

Broward County Florida-Broward Judge Called Out By Blog Owner At Live Hearing Over Court Access-A local blogger, that just happens to be a Stanford educated attorney, during an emergency magistrate hearing called out Broward County Circuit Court Judge Mariya Weeks over both the conditions at the jail for inmates and their ultimate right to access to the courts.

Isaiah Budwah (spelled phonetically), stood before Broward Circuit Court judge Mariya Weeks for an emergency hearing to hopefully solve two violation of probation charges allowing him to enter a residential drug treatment program. He, however, has a new charge he has to deal with also.

Attorney William Gelin thought he had it worked out with the prosecutors’ office but when the hearing began ASA Cristine Murphy immediately objected turning things hectic. After that, the judge fought him every step of the way, even to the point of probably at least attempting to deny the defendant his rights under both the U.S. and Florida constitution.

As Mr. Gelin points out, none of his client’s offenses are violent in nature. Mostly drug possession charges and he seems to have a hard time doing what probation tells him to do. In short, this guy has a serious drug problem and should at least have one chance a treatment as an inpatient, something he has never had, before being locked away in prison at such a young age.

Without going too much into all the legalities of it, what Mr. Gelin was attempting to do was get two violation of probation charges settled, his client had also picked up a new charge while on probation for possession of cocaine.

This would in some way leave his client able to leave the jail and enter a residential drug treatment program. He would then still have the new charge hanging over him giving him an incentive to finish the program or face prison as the alternative.

There are also special circumstances with the current pandemic and the courthouse and jails being closed to the public.

But in a county where they are pretending to do everything they can to protect the rights of the accused and empty the jails, this judge does just about everything she can to deny this guy his rights and day in court, and probably the worst, access to his attorney, as she blames it on the pandemic.

From The JAABBlog:

As Gelin points out, “the courts in Dade and Palm Beach solved this problem a long time ago, once again showing the Seventeenth Circuit Court, Broward, to be the most screwed up circuit in the entire state. A total joke.

We should point out that Mr. Gelin also is the publisher of a pretty popular courthouse blog since about 2009 called the JAABBLOG.

It was very refreshing to see an attorney fight so hard for his client. He did manage to at least get him out of that jail and into a program. Good luck to him sincerely.

Here’s the video of that hearing: