Gov. Jeb Bush names first Hispanic to Florida's Supreme Court; grandson of Cuban dictator

Associated Press ^ | 7-10-02 | JACKIE HALLIFAX

[Oldeconomybuyer]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) --

[Psycho_Bunny]

Unlike the current crop of the Florida SC, hopefully Batista is capable of reading the english language.

[goldstategop]

Jeb made an excellent choice. A lot of work still needs to be done to have the SCOFLAW shed its 7 Dwarfs reputation.

[Dog Gone]

It would nice to hear if he is a conservative, although it hardly matters. If he is, he'll be outvoted on every case 6-1.

[goldstategop]

How unfortunately true. The current Court is pretty much Lawton Chiles legacy.

[Dog Gone]

I'd automatically assume that he's a conservative, but it appears that Florida provides a list to the governor from some commission.

Depending on how that commission is set up (and by whom), they could be sending a list of marxists.

[Free the USA]

fyi

[summer]

Thanks for posting this! You beat me to it! :)

[summer]

It would nice to hear if he is a conservative,

Hi Dog!

The Miami Herald's front page article today on this story said he is an "independent with conservative leanings." He wrote a 1993 letter to an editor about a person who bombed an abortion clinic, saying this person misunderstood Christ's message, and, also, that abortion is the killing of children.

In addition, the Miami Herald article said EVERY judge in the jurisdiction where this attorney works gave this attorney an outstanding recommendation for this judicial position -- every single one of those judges.

So, kudos to Gov Bush for a fine choice!

[summer]

Thanks for the ping! See my post #9. :)

[Dog Gone]

I was hoping you'd drop in with some good information, and you didn't disappoint me!

This is good news. If Jeb appoints another three new SC judges, maybe you Floridians will have a balanced court once again. Thanks!

[Sandy]

Jeb made an excellent choice.

Why do you say that? Do you have some info on Mr. Batista? He has no record to look at, so what are you basing your opinion on?

[summer]

Here is a more informative article, from today's Miami Herald:

-------------------------------------------

The Miami Herald

Posted on Wed, Jul. 10, 2002

Gov. Bush naming 1st Hispanic justice

Some angered by nominee's ties

BY JONI JAMES james@herald.com

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush this morning will name Miami attorney Raoul Cantero III as the first Hispanic justice on the Florida Supreme Court, sources close to the governor said late Tuesday.

In making the 41-year-old Cuban-American his first high court appointee, the Republican governor has chosen a respected corporate lawyer and registered Independent. Cantero is expected to have conservative leanings, especially compared to the court's six other jurists, all Democratic appointees.

Andrew Grigsby, the Miami attorney who chaired a nine-member panel that forwarded Cantero's name and four others to the governor for consideration, said choosing Cantero was consistent with Bush's message to the state's Judicial Nominating Commissions -- that he wants to diversify the state's judiciary, which has lagged in representing minorities.

Cantero, who replaces retiring Justice Major Harding, will join a bench now composed of four white justices, including one woman, and two black justices, including one woman.

''Gov. Jeb Bush is making the bench look more like the state of Florida,'' Joe Garcia, executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, said Tuesday after being told of the appointment. ``It's fantastic.''

Bush said last month that a candidate's ethnicity ``is just one of the collection of things you consider.''

Cantero, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, brings to the job a reputation as a smart, hard-working lawyer, one known to lunch at his desk.

Nearly every judge on the Third District Court of Appeal in West Miami-Dade, where Cantero practices the bulk of his work as the head of the appellate division of Adorno & Yoss, recommended him to the nominating committee.

Born in Spain to the daughter of ousted Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, Cantero was 9 months old when his parents, living in exile, brought him to America.

A product of Miami's Catholic schools, Cantero followed his father into the legal profession. He graduated from Harvard law school after earning his undergraduate degree at Florida State University, with majors in English and business and minors in philosophy and mathematics.

Cantero was the only nominee among the five finalists who drew considerable controversy. Critics ranging from Miami radio commentator Francisco Aruca to The St. Petersburg Times editorial board urged Bush to bypass Cantero, saying his ties to a militant Cuban exile extremist should disqualify him -- especially at a time when the nation is battling terrorism.

Cantero was a junior associate in 1989 when the firm, then Adorno & Zeder, helped Orlando Bosch stay in the U.S. and out of prison after he was released from jail in Venezuela for his alleged role in blowing up a Cuban airliner with 73 passengers aboard.

Bush has his own ties to Bosch, having worked as the campaign manager for Bosch's leading champion, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, when she was a state legislator. He also visited pro-Bosch hunger strikers in Miami. And it was Bush's father, former President George Bush, who agreed to release Bosch.

''Cantero did more than plead and argue the law,'' The St. Petersburg Times said in an editorial last week. 'He took to talk radio in Miami 13 years ago, when Bosch was facing deportation, to describe him as a `Cuban patriot.' ''

Cantero and Bush have each declined to talk about the controversy.

Cantero told The Herald last month: ``As an attorney, you're advocating for one side.''

Bush has declined to make specific statements on what he was looking for in a jurist other than to say he would consider each candidate on the full complement of qualifications.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Gerald Kogan, who was appointed by the state's last Republican governor, Bob Martinez, said he doubts the Bosch connection had any effect on Bush's decision.

[summer]

Well, I was close:

Nearly every judge on the Third District Court of Appeal in West Miami-Dade, where Cantero practices the bulk of his work as the head of the appellate division of Adorno & Yoss, recommended him to the nominating committee. :)

[summer]

More info from the state's web site, here:

-------------------------------------------------

Florida Supreme Court Judge Raoul G. Cantero, III

“Today all Floridians can take pride in the appointment of the first Hispanic justice to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. The significance of Raoul’s achievement is important because it proves that service on our state’s highest court is open to men and women of excellence from all backgrounds,” said Governor Bush. “Raoul has spent his entire career bringing honor to his family and community through his dedication to service. I know he will bring that same honor and dedication to service to the Florida Supreme Court.”

Currently an attorney and head of the appellate department at Adorno & Zeder, P.A., Cantero is also a member of the 11th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. Born in Spain to Cuban parents, Cantero immigrated with his family to the United States in 1961, where they settled in Miami. Cantero graduated from Florida State University summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts in English and Business in 1982. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1985, where he graduated cum laude.

Following law school, Cantero served as a law clerk to Judge Edward B. Davis in the U.S. District Court in Miami before joining Adorno & Zeder as an associate in 1988. From 1993 to 2001, Cantero served on the Coral Gables Planning and Zoning Board, which he chaired from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Dade County, Hispanic, Cuban and Coral Gables bar associations, Cantero also has served as secretary, treasurer, and member of the executive council of the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section. He also served as secretary and vice-president of the Florida Bar Appellate Rules Committee.

Cantero, 41, is married to Ana Maria Cantero. They have three children Christian 12, Michael 9, and Elisa 7. Cantero and his family currently reside in Miami.

# # #

[summer]

In addition -- here is Gov. Bush's official statement on this appointment:

----------------------------------

Statement from Governor Jeb Bush Regarding the Appointment of Raoul Cantero, III to the Florida Supreme Court

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 10, 2002

Contact:
Lisa Gates
(850) 488-5394

"I'm here to announce my appointment of Raoul Cantero to replace retiring Justice Major Harding on the Florida Supreme Court. Before I introduce Raoul, I'd like to make a couple of preliminary points and talk a bit about judicial philosophy.

"First, I want to once again thank Justice Harding for his many years of distinguished service on the Court. Justice Harding is a particularly beloved figure, and he will be hard to replace. I also want to commend the Supreme Court JNC for having sent me a truly outstanding slate of candidates. Each of the other nominees is already a sitting judge, and the people of Florida are blessed to have public servants of such high caliber.

"This appointment comes at a time when it's abundantly clear that courts profoundly affect our everyday lives. Courts can safeguard opportunities for the neediest among us, as the U.S. Supreme Court did in its recent decision on school choice and education reform. In death penalty cases, courts make fundamental decisions about life and death, and about victims' ability to obtain justice. Courts routinely issue rulings that govern the relationship between parents and children. And, as the Pledge of Allegiance case demonstrates, court decisions can even endanger the institutions and customs that hold us together as a society. Judges-particularly appellate judges-do their work in a cloistered setting. Nonetheless, their actions have real consequences that affect all of us.

"But the increasing power of courts in our society should not come at the expense of institutions that have a more legitimate claim to govern our lives. To paraphrase John Adams, we are a government of laws and not of men. Far too often, our courts have ignored this basic principle and substituted their own personal views for the laws enacted by the people and their representatives. Increasingly, courts have seized control over policy decisions that are not theirs to make. I'd prefer that judges distinguish themselves by their adherence to the foundational principle of the separation of powers. I don't know of any Floridian or American who's consented to government by the judiciary.

"As courts grow ever more powerful, there is an even greater need for judges who are humble about the judicial role. Humble in the sense that they know courts are not mini-Legislatures or Governors. And in the sense of understanding that a court betrays its duty when it imposes its personal will on the rest of us.

"Courts exist to protect freedom. This includes the individual rights that each of us holds dear. But freedom also means the shared right of the people to govern themselves through their elected representatives in the Legislature and the Executive Branch. A healthy respect for the people's right of self-government-and a strong dose of humility-are absolute prerequisites for a good judge. Raoul Cantero has both of these qualities.

"Raoul was born in Madrid, Spain to Cuban parents. His family brought him to Miami as a nine-month-old. Raoul is married to Ana Maria Cantero, and together they're the parents of three children-Christian, Michael, and Elisa. Raoul got his undergraduate degree here at FSU and then attended Harvard Law School. During a 14-year career in private practice, Raoul has developed into one of the finest appellate advocates in the state. He also distinguished himself in public service through an eight-year tenure on the Coral Gables Planning and Zoning Board.

"I'm proud to say that Raoul will be the first Hispanic ever to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. This means a lot to me, and I want to be clear about why I think it is important. The significance of this appointment is not that Raoul will in some sense "represent" the views of Hispanics on the Court. That is not the role of a judge. Raoul's achievement is important because it proves that service on our state's highest court is open to men and women of excellence from all backgrounds.

"This is one of the most important decisions I'll make as Governor. And I'm confident that I've made the right one. Above all else, Raoul Cantero is a man of exceptional character. He will undoubtedly make me-and the people of Florida-proud."

[summer]

Angelique, I meant to also ping you on my post #16, re: Jeb's statement.

[summer]

BTW, here is information from the state's web site, under Governor's Initiatives, providing a great deal of info on how Gov. Bush is involved in the process or judicial appointments in the State of FL: Judicial Appointments

[Dog Gone]

Good stuff. I still wish I knew more about this Judicial Nominating Commission. While it appears Cantero is probably an excellent choice, and he certainly has an outstanding academic record, it still bothers me a little that a commission presents choices to the Governor. In a way, THEY are the ones picking the judges, even if they don't know for sure which one will be selected.

I would have felt a little better if Cantero had been described as "a Republican who will be far out of step with his colleagues on the bench."

[summer]

But, that commission has, I believe, undergone some major changes -- for example, I think the bar association previously had some members on it, and the number of members was eliminated or decreased, so that more of these commission members are actually appointed by Gov. Bush. I don't recall the exact changes, but I think I actually may be right here or close to it.