Nominations for 12th Circuit judge should come from around state

With the vacancy caused by Judge John F. Lakin retiring, the selection for the opening now comes to the nominating commission. We, the citizens of Florida, want the best possible judge for this vacancy. To limit the selection to only 12 circuit attorneys is not in the best interest of our judicial system.

I believe the selection should be statewide to attract the best possible candidates for judge. Limiting ourselves to only attorneys that have been practicing for at least five years within the 12th Circuit brings on many complications, such as conflict of interest and other factors.

Attorneys that belong to the local bar association in DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties all have a certain camaraderie to the members as all organizations should. That being said, it is hard for this citizen to believe that there would not be a conflict of interest presiding over many constituents and members of the bar in our local community.

If an outside attorney would be selected for the 12th Circuit, it might bring a different perspective to the bench.

As a judicial watcher in civil, criminal and family courts within the State of Florida, I can assure you that local judges, who are tied to the community and local attorneys, do not always make the decisions that are in the best interests of the child.

There are hundreds of organizations and many documentaries that substantiate these facts; Divorce Corp Film Trailer https://youtube/lZTOT6DKfZ8; Parental Alienation Documentary https://youtube/cYV8GBrJv9k.

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance." -- Nathaniel Branden

Glen Gibelllina, Member, Judicial Watch

Bradenton

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Nominations for 12th Circuit judge should come from around state ."