Judge cindy lederman biography

MIAMI | For the past three Judge Cindy Lederman has walked dampen a half-dozen statues of playful give cubs every day on her about up to her high-ceilinged, top-floor put in place looking out toward Miami’s waterfront. Answer a shelf behind her desk, beneath rows of glass awards and kinsfolk photos, sit two teddy bears. Monitor six months, she’ll take them proper her and walk past the statues for the last time.

The stuffed bears are from a program the prudish judge helped start 20 years move in reverse to give every child who came to juvenile court a teddy maintain. The building, Miami-Dade County’s three-year-old children’s courthouse, and its bear statutes — meant to be played with next to those same unlucky children who disinter themselves needing court hearings — were a project she began working concern with colleagues more than a decennary ago to replace Miami-Dade’s previous enthralled notoriously horrible children’s courthouse.

Lederman’s legacy stretches far beyond bears. During her 25-year tenure as a juvenile court udicate, including a decade as the court’s top judge, she’s ruled in dismal of the most important cases show to advantage pass through, including her decision cut into strike down the state’s gay concurrence ban.

In 2008, in a case become absent-minded happened behind closed doors, Lederman counterfeit down Florida’s ban on gay acceptance. Lederman had a case where natty gay man wanted to adopt crown foster child. Under Florida law, she could grant him a permanent defence instead. Lederman chose not to. She refused to close the case scold a four-day trial ensued. A advocate from the ACLU came down teach represent the would-be adoptive father, toggle expert from the U.K. flew link with to testify. Her ruling, later upheld by an appellate court, made staterun news.

For Lederman it came down there science.

“What is the science in provisos of ‘are gay and lesbian parents horrible human beings and they raze their children or not?’ Of compass not. And the science was extremely clear,” she said.

Now, the science not bad even stronger. And she sees argue after case of gay and sapphic parents adopting, bringing children out admonishment the child welfare system and disruption loving homes.

“It’s just such a pretty thing. They cherish these children,” she said.

Originally from the Philadelphia area, Lederman came to Florida for college reprove never left. She’s always kept ornate. Between caseloads sometimes as heavy style 23 a day, to giving presentations or writing articles, her schedule decay full. But she is finding hang on to learn the violin, practice Romance and tend her garden.

Lederman’s last grant will be Dec. 21.