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Doral, Florida — Justice is supposed to be blind. That is the enduring image of Lady Justice — standing impartial, eyes covered by a blindfold. Yet in the Circuit Court of Miami-Dade County, a judge openly hugged one of the parties and thanked him for bringing his case. An appellate panel later ruled that she should be removed from hearing further motions.
Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz presided over the legal challenge to Miami Dade College’s proposed transfer of land on Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami to the Trump Presidential Library. After an initial hearing, Judge Ruiz temporarily blocked the transfer. She later dismissed the case once the college’s full Board of Trustees voted in favor of it.
Last month, however, an appellate panel found that Judge Ruiz had demonstrated bias in favor of the plaintiff, local activist and educator Marvin Dunn. Following the hearing, the judge shook hands with attorneys from both sides, then hugged the plaintiff and thanked him for bringing the case.
With approximately 30 years of legal experience, Judge Ruiz should know better than to display such overt favoritism. Her inability to maintain impartiality raises serious questions about her fitness for the bench.
When the college’s attorneys asked her to recuse herself, Judge Ruiz refused — and went further, commenting favorably on the plaintiff’s decision to mortgage his home in order to post the $150,000 surety bond required to halt the land transfer.
Judge Ruiz first won election to the bench in 2014 by defeating an incumbent and was comfortably re-elected in 2020. This year, she faces a challenge on Tuesday, August 18, in her bid to retain her seat in Group 67.
The Challenger
Destiny Alvarez, a young University of Florida-educated attorney practicing in Coral Gables, has stepped forward to challenge Judge Ruiz.
Alvarez believes every judge must bring three essential qualities to the bench: character, integrity, and fairness. She understands that a judge’s role is not to legislate or pontificate, but to apply the law faithfully, treat all parties equally, and decide cases impartially and without bias.
She has the character to listen carefully, the integrity to follow the law, and the fairness to treat every person with dignity and respect. Recognized as an emerging leader in the legal community for the past decade, she has already raised more than $100,000 for her campaign since launching in early April.
Visit: www.destinyalvarezforjudge.com
The Miami Independent proudly supports Destiny Alvarez for Circuit Court Judge.
