Pope Francis awarded a Miami judge the Papal Medal Benemerenti to recognize the jurist’s good and meritorious service, focused on his work within the judicial system to improve the treatment of those with mental illness.
Miami-Dade County Judge Steve Leifman said his work started nearly a quarter century ago when attorneys from the Public Defender’s Office connected him with the distraught parents of a man who suffered from late-onset schizophrenia, and was facing charges for possession of a dairy cart.
