(Screengrab via courtroom video)
Judge Mindy Glazer was presiding over a routine bond hearing when she and the defendant both got quite a surprise; they had gone to middle school together.
The video of the moment has gone viral across social media platforms and has been picked up by news outlets across the country, showing Judge Glazer asking Arthur Booth, 40, if he went “to Nautilus for middle school?” Booth broke down in tears when he realized the judge was also a former classmate.
Judge Glazer went on to tell Booth, “Good luck to you sir. I hope you’re able to come out of this ok and just lead a lawful life.”
Here’s what you need to know about Judge Glazer away from the emotional, and viral, moment:
1. Judge Glazer Became a Circuit Court Judge in 2000
Judge Glazer works on the Eleventh Judicial Court Circuit, Family Division, and was elected to the post on September 5, 2000. Her current term expires in January 2019, following her reelection on August 14, 2012. Glazer ran unopposed.
Over the past decade and a half, Glazer has presided over hundreds of cases, including the Tyler Weinman “cat killer” case. The case ultimately turned around on the court after Weinman opted to sue Miami-Dad County for negligence leading to his false arrest. The case had been dropped in 2010 after evidence suggested that the cats were, actually, killed by another large animal and not Weinman.
2. She Was Accused of Kicking in Doors at Her Condo by Imperial House Board Director Alex de Gasperi
(Via Miami Condo Lifestyle)
When de Gasperi resigned as board director of Imperial House, a luxury Miami Beach tower, he did not simply walk out the door. In fact, he made sure to point out that a few of those doors had been kicked in; by Judge Mindy Glazer.
The Miami New Times Reported that, after he left, de Gasperi circulated a four-page letter suggesting that the Judge and her family not only kicked down a door but also intimidated the board into backing an insurance deal that paid her husband, David Gaynor, thousands of dollars.
3. Judge Glazer’s Husband, David Gaynor, Wrongly Claimed Homestead Tax Exemption
The 2011 accusations of Judge Glazer’s less-than-ideal behavior in her Miami Beach condo came just a week after her husband, David Gaynor, was called onto pay the state nearly $50,000 for wrongly claiming Homestead tax exemptions on two condos.
Gaynor had also been accused of creating problems for the association board, which had been looking to change the tower’s insurance provider. The board had been unhappy with Wells Faro’s service and found a cheaper rate from Accurate Insurance. Both Gaynor and Glazer protested the shift.
4. Judge Glazer Graduated From the University of Miami & Ran Her Own Law Practice for Nearly a Decade
(Screengrab)
Although her middle school history is now viral video fodder, Judge Glazer got her law start at the University of Miami, graduating in 1988. She followed up by earning her law degree at St. Thomas University School of Law and passed the Florida Bar in 1991.
She opened her own law office in 1991 and ran the practice until 2000 when she was elected to circuit court. In addition to her duties in court, Glazer is also on the executive board of KidSide, which provides funding to ensure that Family Court Services, including supervised visitation and community referrals, continue during the in-court process.
5. She Made Headlines Presiding Over the Case of a Miami Drug Deal Gone Bad
This latest social media moment is not the first time Judge Glazer has presided over a high profile case. The South Florida judge recently heard the case of Jean Wabafiyebazu, the son of Canada’s consul general in Miami, Roxanne Dube, after he was killed when he, allegedly, went into a house to buy marijuana.
The Miami Herald had originally reported that a suspected drug dealer was also killed and added that Jean’s brother, Marc, as well as another man, Anthony Rodriguez, had been arrested on felony murder charges. Judge Glazer set Rodriguez’s bond at $150,000.