Media Mentions
2011
“YLD Symposium Looks at the Composition of the JNCs”
The Florida Bar News, February 15, 2011
Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez spoke at a Florida Bar panel discussion of the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC). Ms. Rodriguez, former general counsel to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, said that the JNC’s creation “was a great way to try to bring some rationality to the process of appointing judges” in the state. She also spoke in support of a Florida constitutional amendment proposing that county or circuit court judges have 10 years of Florida Bar experience rather than the current five, calling 10 years “a very reasonable time to have somebody truly become an expert in their field.”
2009
Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez was quoted in a September 22 Broward Daily Business Review story about Florida governor Charlie Crist’s use of shadow panels to help him vet judicial appointments. Ms. Rodriguez, who was general counsel to former Florida governor Jeb Bush in his second term, noted that Mr. Bush sometimes relied on guidance from outside attorneys to make judicial selections. “They were people who knew the governor and what he was looking for,” such as strong legal background and belief in the separation of powers, she stated. Ms. Rodriguez added that Mr. Bush personally interviewed all nominees given to him to fill court vacancies.
, Trial
Raquel Rodriguez was interviewed on CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight (May 27) concerning the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Having previously been involved in the appointment process for many judges as general counsel to former Florida governor Bush, Ms. Rodriguez explained why she is withholding support from Judge Sotomayor's nomination at this time. "My focus is judicial philosophy, not political philosophy," Ms Rodriguez explained. "[T]he Senate needs to exam[ine] whether or not there is going to be any possibility of judicial interpretation through any kind of ethnic or gender-based lens. … Is this going to be a judge who is going to expand rights into the Constitution that are not there?" Ms. Rodriguez emphasized that she supports "a full and searching inquiry" on Judge Sotomayor's record, adding "I think she deserves to be interviewed on the merits."
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2007
Raquel "Rocky" Rodriguez was mentioned in the November 15 issue of Florida Bar News to announce her appointment to the Southern District of Florida's Federal Judicial Bar and Community Liaison Committee by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Federico A. Moreno.
, Trial
Raquel Rodriguez was mentioned in a July 31 article published by the Miami Herald regarding a trademark infringement case over the rights to use the phrase "Miami Fashion Week." Currently three companies refer to their fashion week as "Miami Fashion Week", however Fashion Week of the Americas, represented by Ms. Rodriguez, has brought a lawsuit regarding their rights to this phrase. Ms. Rodriguez stated that her client first used the phrase in 1999 and that the longevity strengthens her case.
, Intellectual Property, Trademark/Brand Protection & Enforcement, Trial
Raquel A. Rodriguez was quoted in the April 8 issue of Miami Herald in an article regarding Florida Governor Charlie Crist's plan to offer the Seminole Indian tribe a competitive advantage in the gambling industry in exchange for the state gaining a portion of the tribe's massive $1.3 billion gambling revenue. Ms. Rodriguez commented on the Seminoles' desire to gain exclusive access to "Las Vegas-style" slot machines: "It's not an automatic that someone else has slots and the tribe immediately has slots. What they're entitled to is the right to negotiate with the state for slots,'' she mentioned, adding, "some of these questions have never been ruled on before…it could go as high as the [U.S.] Supreme Court."
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