Hi kids, well it's that day again.

We've previously discussed how recent criticism regarding the composition of the Federal JNC may impact Michael Hanzman's long road to a federal judgeship, and here we see his name in the mix again in this excellent John Pacenti column:

Even before a call for official applications, some prominent names are swirling in the Miami legal community to replace U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley, who took senior status.

Federal Public Defender Kathleen Williams and Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Robert Scola are expected to apply. Sources say three other Miami-Dade judges — Kevin Emas, Mary Barzee Flores and Darrin Gayles — also plan to throw their hats into the ring.

Flores spent more than a decade as an assistant public defender before taking the bench in 2003. Emas was on the short list for the Florida Supreme Court twice last year.

Attorneys Michael Hanzman, a name partner with Hanzman Gilbert in Coral Gables, and Judith Korchin, a Holland & Knight partner in Miami, also are expected to be in the mix when the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission seeks applications. A notice is expected any day.

So far, the lawyers who are said to be interested in applying are exclusively from the Miami area even though Hurley sits in West Palm Beach. The Southern District has recommended to the administrative office of the 11th U.S. Circuit that the new judge be assigned to Fort Lauderdale, according to the office of Chief U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno.

Guy Lewis, former U.S. attorney and two-time candidate for federal judge, said some of those mentioned have called him about the process.

“It’s an excellent slate, but I think you will see a number of other people come forward, including sitting judges and judges from the 3rd District Court of Appeal. I think you will see a federal magistrate,” he said. “I don’t think the slate is complete. I think you will see a number of names come out of Broward County.”

Lewis said the Broward County bar is decidedly Democratic and played a key role in getting Barack Obama elected.

“I think a lot of weight will be given to Broward,” said Lewis, a name partner with Lewis Tein in Miami.

Mitchell Berger, a founder of Berger Singerman in Fort Lauderdale and a big player in Democratic fund-raising, said local bar politics will play as big a role as it does in state judgeships.

“People in the Southern District who practice in federal court are quite used to going to Palm Beach, Broward or Miami-Dade counties with respect to their cases,” he said. “I do think it’s important judges have a feel for their community in common law jurisprudence. In federal court, the community is the Southern District at large.”

The 56-member JNC will whittle the applicants to a handful to present to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who make the final recommendation to President Obama. The U.S. Senate must confirm Obama’s pick for the position.

Hanzman has contributed to political campaigns for both parties. Among Hanzman’s contributions since 2000 is $15,000 to the Democratic National Committee and at least $4,000 to Nelson, according to the Federal Elections Commission. He also contributed $5,000 to Sen. Mel Martinez in 2004, according to the Federal Elections Commission.

Kathleen Williams and Judith Korchin are certainly prominent women lawyers, at least here in Miami, and both are well-known and respected among the federal judiciary. And Michael of course is eminently qualified.

But where are the powerhouse Hispanic applicants in this mix? And which Judge from the 3d DCA is Guy talking about?

(please no)

I did a post over at David's fine blog regarding this great John Pacenti article on the lack of women on the newly appointed Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.

But I want to amplify it a bit here, from the comfort of my own crappy soapbox.

I give Lisa Lehner a lot of credit. She really lets loose and has some great quotes:

“I was appalled,” said Lehner, director of the Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. “It’s mind-boggling. It’s a total and complete mystery how anyone can constitute a commission, which is supposed to be selecting candidates for federal office, with such a gross disparity and inequality toward women.”

Here's another:

Lehner said there have been problems with diversity on the state judicial nominating commissions, pointing to Gov. Charlie Crist’s request in December for a more diverse list of candidates to fill a Florida Supreme Court vacancy. “This is a pandemic. The state JNCs are abysmal,” she said.

She's right.

This one's my favorite:

“How do the guys do it? What’s the secret handshake here? What are we missing?” she said.

I don't know -- let's ask Steve Zack:

Zack, like other JNC members contacted, said he had no comment on the number of women on the commission.

No comment?

This comes on the heels of a remarkable study finding that the more attractive a woman is, the less competent she is judged to be:

According to an article by Tom Jacobs on the website of Santa Barbara's Miller-McCune Center, recently completed research at the University of South Florida indicates that, at least among a select group of students there, those who found the hockey mom more attractive also judged her less competent, less intelligent and less capable.

This didn't seem to have much impact in Palin's 2006 primary upset victory and statewide election as the largest state's first female governor.

But the finding, being published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, does conform with previous research that found attractive women in high-status jobs were perceived as less competent.

Both outcomes would seem to strongly indicate there's more to the glass ceiling for females than the actual glass. No news to them.

Back to the JNC -- I would say that if the Panel is not reconstituted, they will have a hard time recommending an older white guy to replace Judge Hurley or Judge Gold when he takes senior status.

What do you all think?

UPDATE -- Billy Shields has more:

Cuban American Bar Association president Roland Sanchez-Medina has fired off an angry letter to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, complaining about the lack of Cuban-American Democrats on a newly named federal judicial selection commission as well as a lack of consultation.

The Democratic Party has “been the road less traveled” for generations of Cuban-Americans, which means some of the most dedicated members are Cuban-Americans willing “to swim against the tide,” Sanchez-Medina wrote the senator Wednesday in a letter obtained by the DBR. “I was hopeful that some day those of us who persevered … would finally enjoy our day in the sun, and after this past election, I finally believed that day had come; that we would have a clear and unambiguous voice in the political process. Unfortunately with the stroke of a pen, you have damaged even my indefatigable spirit.”

Sanchez-Medina complained not only about a lack of representation but said that Nelson made his selections for the Judicial Nominating Commission without any consultation with local Cuban Democrats.

Come on -- that shouldn't be too hard. Just get all five in the room and talk.