Annual Justice Award
The League's mission is to use its members' body of experience to educate the public about our justice system and our local judiciary, and to bring recognition to the dedicated judges who serve our community. We also strive to recognize and support those who work in the criminal justice system.
In that vein, each year the League selects a local judge who best embodies the judicial temperament and intellect we, as attorneys and current and former prosecutors, like to see on the bench. The Justice Award Reception is a cornerstone of the League as we honor, each year, a judge who has had a great impact on our South Florida judicial system. Past recipients of this prestigious award have been Judge Rudy Sorondo, Judge Leslie Rothenberg, Judge Robert Scola, Judge Marc Schumacher, Judge Jerald Bagley, Judge Peter Lopez and Judge Stanford Blake.
Congratulations to the Recipient of the 2011 Justice Award- THE HONORABLE JUDGE SCOTT SILVERMAN.
About the Recipient:
Judge Scott Silverman has served as a member of the South Florida judiciary for over 20 years. He was elected as a Dade County Court judge in 1990, and took the bench in 1991. As a county court judge, he served in the criminal division handling DUIs and other misdemeanors. While in the county court division, Judge Silverman also served at the Joseph Caleb Center and also at the Miami Beach Branch Court. From 1997 through 1999, Judge Silverman served as the Associate Administrative Judge for Traffic Related Matters for Miami-Dade County.
In 1998, Judge Silverman was elected to the 11th Circuit Court bench, taking office in January of 1999. For 7 years, Judge Silverman served at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in the criminal division. Thereafter, he transferred to the family division for one year, followed by a 5 year stint in the civil division. In the fall of 2010, Judge Silverman returned to the family division where he presently serves.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge Silverman served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma. He also served as a law clerk to Circuit Court Judge Fredricka G. Smith and practiced in civil litigation with an emphasis in personal injury law. During his judicial tenure, Judge Silverman has served as an Associate Judge on Florida's First and Fourth District Courts of Appeal, and was also nominated to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal. He is a former two-time chair of the Florida Supreme Court's Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, and a former chair of the Florida Bar's Committee on the Rules of Judicial Administration.
Judge Silverman is a recipient of the American Judicature Society’s premiere state honor, the Herbert Harley Award; and the highest honor bestowed by the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida, the Judge Harvey Ford Leadership Award. Judge Silverman was also designated as the 11th Judicial Circuit's Court Historian and is a founding member of the 11th Judicial Circuit Historical Society.
Judge Silverman is also an avid photographer and holds a credit from the Associated Press for a photo he took of the 1995 Miami Beach Courthouse fire. His photos have been published in the Miami Herald and the Daily Business Review.
