Few circuit judges in Palm Beach County ever face election challengers. Fewer still lose those challenges.
But Circuit Court Judge Jaimie Goodman deserved the challenge he got this year. Now he deserves to lose.
Goodman drew two opponents in the August nonpartisan primary. If he had received a majority of the votes, he would have retained the Group 30 seat for another six years. But he received just 36.5 of the vote. Adam Myron came in second, beating fellow lawyer Caryn Siperstein by just 427 votes.
Now, Myron is going against Goodman in the general election. As we did in the primary, we endorse this bright and accomplished attorney who has a history of giving back to our community. We believe he is better suited to weigh the questions that come before the bench and leave both sides feeling they’ve at least been heard.
After the election results were known, Goodman congratulated himself for coming in first. Here’s another way to look at it: Nearly two-thirds of the votes were for someone other than him.
There was a good reason. Goodman is a weak judge. And there are metrics to back that up.
As we detailed in our endorsement of Myron before the primary, Goodman consistently has scored badly in the Palm Beach County Bar poll of judges. The Bar conducts the poll every two years. Lawyers who have appeared before judges can rank them Excellent, Satisfactory or Needs Improvement in nine categories.
Goodman hadn’t been on the bench long enough for the 2015 poll to be meaningful. So we looked at the results from 2017 and 2019. One category especially stood out — judicial demeanor and treatment of lawyers.
In 2017, 173 lawyers responded to the survey. Eighty-two percent rated Goodman as Needs Improvement. Two years later, even more lawyers responded — 292. Eighty-six percent gave Goodman a rating of Needs Improvement.
Judges who score badly point out that the survey is only a sampling. They argue that only the disgruntled lawyers respond and that the poll isn’t representative.
Actually, our experience is that the Palm Beach County poll generally has been reliable over the decades. Many judges get very high marks, undercutting the idea that lawyers use the poll to get even with jurists who rule against them.
In addition, bad temperament is the easiest thing for a judge to correct. All it takes is a willingness to drop the arrogance and treat lawyers respectfully. Such behavior would raise the credibility of a judge’s ruling and allow all parties to believe that they have received a fair hearing.
The 2017 poll put Goodman on notice. He ignored it. During the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board candidate interview, he pledged to get better. Why should the public believe him now?
Recent history shows the cost of such arrogance. In 2014, Diana Lewis ran for a third term and dismissed repeated Bar polls that ranked her about as badly as Goodman. She lost. Her opponent pointed out that Lewis had received a second chance and had refused to change.
When Goodman ran in 2014, we endorsed him. Goodman told us, “My goal is that everyone who comes into the courtroom feels that I am engaged, that I’ve done the work, that I’ve read the material and that everybody walks away not necessarily agreeing with the ruling, because that’s not going to happen, but that they received a fair shake.”
Goodman has not lived up to those words. Another category in which he scored badly was impartiality. So the voters need to replace him.
Myron has been in private practice for nearly two decades, most of that time in South Florida. He has an impressive record of professional and civic involvement, such as working with the group Feeding South Florida that has been so active during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Florida Supreme Court has certified Myron as a mediator. In his Sun Sentinel questionnaire, Myron said a “judge has to be fair and impartial, and make tough decisions; but at the same time a judge has to have empathy and compassion. A judge has to treat everyone the same way: with kindness, civility and respect. A judge must set a tone of professionalism in the courtroom so that everyone will mirror that behavior.”
“One of my favorite quotes is from Philo of Alexandria, “be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.”
It’s a puzzle why Goodman won’t change. He spent roughly $500,000 of his own money on two unsuccessful races and the 2014 campaign. He’s put almost $100,000 into this one.
Whatever the reason, Goodman has no one else to blame. The Sun Sentinel recommends Adam Myron for Palm Beach County Circuit Court Group 30.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O’Hara, Dan Sweeney, Steve Bousquet and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.
