Keep Judges Rice, Greco

The election of judges is among the most difficult choices voters make because the candidates are prevented by judicial canons from addressing specific issues.

As anyone who watched the Senate Judiciary Committee's recent grilling of Solicitor General Elena Kagan in her bid to become a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court will understand, judicial candidates will only speak in a broad sense about legal issues that may come before the court.

We attempt in our interviews of the candidates to get a feel for their personality and temperament. We strive to get a sense of what they know and don't know and whether they have the organizational skills and ability to handle difficult and lengthy court dockets. We also talk to friends and colleagues of the candidates - judges, lawyers and litigants - to try to assess their temperament and abilities.

This year, as usual, most of the trial court judges standing for election drew no opposition. But two sitting judges - one on the circuit bench and one in county court - are being challenged.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth (Liz) Rice is meeting spirited opposition from Tampa lawyer Zilia Vasquez. Both women were admitted to The Florida Bar in 1990.

Rice has served as a judge since her election to the county bench in 2004. Last year, she was elevated by Gov. Charlie Crist to her current post.

Circuit judges have enormous power, including the ability to impose the death penalty, terminate parental rights and order the seizure of personal assets, so it's critical that voters pick the candidate with a wide breadth of knowledge and experience. Rice is that person.

She graduated from the University of Florida College of Law near the top of her class and worked in Tampa for the Hill, Ward & Henderson and Stearns Weaver law firms practicing primarily commercial litigation.

Most of her tenure in county court she spent presiding over minor criminal and traffic cases. Hillsborough Chief Judge Manuel Menendez also made her an acting circuit judge in the family law division, which is where she now sits as a circuit judge.

The main case against Rice is that she is a stickler for the rules and can sometimes be hard on litigants. No one, however, suggests that she would not follow the law. Some critics allege she is an elitist who favors blue-stocking law practices, but we could find no evidence of these mean-spirited claims. As with any judge, some lawyers had complaints. For every person we talked to with a gripe, many more sang Rice's praises.

Vasquez has much to commend her. The Nova Law School graduate is extremely personable and confident. She worked for Public Defender Julianne Holt upon her arrival in Tampa in 1993 and has had a successful private practice since 1996, focusing primarily on immigration, family and criminal defense law. She probably would make a fine judge.

But Rice, while perhaps frustrating a few in the legal community, has done nothing to warrant an exit from her judicial post. For Hillsborough Circuit Court, Group 4, the Tribune endorses Liz Rice.

County Judge Dick Greco Jr. is being challenged by private practitioner Lanell Williams-Yulee. Crist appointed Greco to the county bench last year after a nearly 10-year hiatus from judicial service. He served on the county bench from 1991 until 1994 when he became a circuit judge. He left the bench in 2001 and entered private practice. He also served as a senior judge before his current assignment
Greco, a graduate of South Texas College of Law, says he likes working in "the people's court" where most citizens with legal problems wind up. "You are dealing with situations that are as important for
these people as circuit civil is to businesses," he said.

Williams-Yulee, a graduate of Mississippi College of Law, has been both a prosecutor and public defender. She has worked in Tampa, Bartow, Pensacola and St. Petersburg. She is personable and says she has the experience and desire to become a judge. But that does not justify getting rid of Greco, who has proved himself more than capable. The Tribune endorses Dick Greco Jr. for Hillsborough County Court Judge, Group 10.

Candidates not endorsed by The Tampa Tribune are invited by the editorial board to write rebuttals. Rebuttals should be limited to 200 words. E-mail all replies to tribletters@tampatrib.com or write to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 191, Tampa, 33601-0191.