Miami-Dade Judge's Facebook 'Friendship' Leads to Court Battle
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko is publicly linked on Facebook with Israel Reyes, a former colleague from the bench who recently appeared before her in court.
July 31, 2017 at 11:30 AM
7 minute read
A North Miami law firm is fighting to have a judge removed from a case for being Facebook friends with a lawyer who appeared before her.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko is publicly linked on the social networking site with Israel Reyes, a former colleague from the bench. Reyes, now the managing partner at the Reyes Law Firm in Coral Gables, entered an appearance on behalf of a nonparty in a case before Butchko.
The Facebook friendship means Reyes can “influence” Butchko, who therefore “cannot be impartial,” argued Reuven Herssein, founding member of Herssein Law Group, in a motion to disqualify Butchko. She declined to recuse herself, saying the motion was legally insufficient.
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