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Edited by Eduardo Vidal
Miami, Florida — This year may bring Miami-Dade County’s quietest judicial elections—and the loudest complaints from its citizens. Nearly 40 judicial seats are on the 2026 ballot in Miami-Dade County for the election on Tuesday, August 18.
Every single one of them, so far, is unopposed. Not lightly contested. Not weakly challenged. Unopposed. Candidates will have one week in April to qualify for these elections.
County Court:
Ritamaria Cuervo
Kevin Hellmann
Joanne Hernandez
Donald “DJ” Cannava Jr.
Raul A. Cuervo
Stephanie R. Silver
Luis Perez-Medina
Betty Capote-Erben
Natalie Moore
Victoria Ferrer
Gordon Charles Murray Sr.
Circuit Court:
Ivonne Cuesta
Angélica D. Zayas
Jose M. Rodriguez
Daryl E. Trawick
Migna Sanchez-Llorens
Tanya Brinkley
Peter R. Lopez
Alberto Milian
Christine Hernandez
Spencer Multack
Michelle Alvarez Barakat
Orlando A. Prescott
Michelle Delancy
Stacy D. Glick
Cristina Miranda
Abby Cynamon
Marcia B. Caballero
Joseph D. Perkins
Laura Gonzalez-Marques
Denise Martinez-Scanziani
Mavel Ruiz
Richard Hersch
Veronica A. Diaz
Reemberto Diaz
Carlos M. Guzman
Carlos H. Gamez
Spencer Eig
Beatrice A. Butchko
Andrea Ricker Wolfson
Forty seats. Zero competition.
Judicial qualifying runs for four days in April, from noon on April 20 through noon on April 24. If no one files during that window, these races are effectively decided.
Yet Miami-Dade County residents continue to voice frustration. Homeowners rage about insurance premiums. Parents rage about family court delays. Defendants rage about plea deals that feel automatic. Everyone blames Tallahassee. Everyone blames “the system.”
But the system has names. They’re listed above.
These judges control docket speed. They rule on summary judgments that can end an insurance case before a jury ever hears it. They decide custody schedules that shape children’s lives for years. They preside over plea negotiations that resolve the overwhelming majority of criminal cases. Not one of them currently has to defend a record against an opponent. Not one.
Let’s be clear about something else: Judges are not neutral furniture in a courtroom. They sanction wayward lawyers. They manage discovery disputes. They grant or deny continuances. They enforce deadlines. They determine whether litigation becomes efficient resolution or procedural trench warfare.
In insurance disputes, they watch carriers and policyholder attorneys battle over leverage while homeowners wait. In family court, they see conflict escalate as fees climb and savings drain. In criminal court, they oversee a system that prioritizes throughput because it must.
Insurance companies do not vote. Homeowners do. Litigants do. Taxpayers fund the system. When cases drag and costs spiral, the public absorbs it.
Judges have the authority to rein in abuse and demand professionalism. That authority matters. When it never faces competition, it grows comfortable. Power that never faces challenge becomes entrenched. Entrenched power rarely reforms itself.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: The loudest critics of the courts are often lawyers. Lawyers who practice in these courtrooms. Lawyers who know the judges. Lawyers who understand the docket realities. Lawyers who privately complain about inefficiencies.
And when qualifying opens? Silence.
Running is expensive. It is awkward. Challenging a sitting judge in the courthouse where you earn your living requires nerve. So instead, the profession critiques the system over drinks and protects it at the ballot.
If Miami-Dade County’s courts are functioning perfectly, then this is stability. If they are not, then this is complacency.
Most Miami-Dade County voters already know: insurance is too expensive, courts move too slowly, and family litigation drains savings. Yet the people shaping those outcomes are running alone.
And appellate justices? Voters do not choose between candidates. They simply vote yes or no on retention. That is not competitive accountability. It is default retention.
Ballots will be printed. Names will be listed. No opponents will appear. No alternatives.
If no one files by April 24, nearly 40 judicial seats in Miami-Dade County will move forward uncontested. After that, outrage is just noise.
Democracy allows challenge. It does not supply courage.
