![]() ![]() If elected, we worry politics could seep into the courtroom.ĭiaz de la Portilla was a public defender for three years and currently runs his own law firm. Diaz de la Portilla himself is a perennial candidate - he ran for three different offices and lost in the past, including for circuit judge in 2014. His brother Alex is a Miami commissioner. That was a serious mistake, one for which Seraphin took responsibility during his interview, saying “I will never be able to apologize enough for my reaction.”ĭiaz de la Portilla, a former Republican state representative and Miami-Dade School Board member, is part of a political dynasty known for its influence as well as controversy and dirty political tricks. In 2015, Seraphin refused to accommodate an assistant public defender’s request for breaks during a trial so she could pump breast milk. ![]() His temperament has been called into question by his 2016 challenger and his current opponent, Renier Diaz de la Portilla. He previously presided over only criminal cases and recently changed his assignment to domestic-violence cases, misdemeanors (such as possession of marijuana), civil injunctions and criminal traffic cases, he told the Herald Editorial Board. Seraphin brings institutional knowledge to this race. In Haiti, his father, a political opponent of dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, was murdered, and no killer was ever tried. The experience of being put in handcuffs inspired Seraphin, then a senior in college, to help people with no money navigate the legal system - first as a public defender. He said he was wrongly arrested for an armed robbery in New York in the early 1980s. ![]() He said being a judge is a calling spurred by personal experiences with injustice. Judge Fred Seraphin made history in 2001 when he became the first Haitian-American judge in the county, appointed by then-Gov. In the race for Miami-Dade County judge Group 5, a longtime judge with a reputation for being cranky faces a familiar politician with his own baggage and strong connections to Republican circles. ![]()
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