Judge Patti Christensen Resigns -- A Good Career Move

Having seen injustice in the courtroom of  Judge Patti A. Christensen, I am delighted that she will no longer subject litigants to abuse and unfairness.  

She lacked self-respect and respect for litigants. She played favorites. She dawdled on decisions. She lacked a fair judicial temperament.  She even insulted Summer Haven residents.

Christensen had a reputation as a tipsy, unqualified, inattentive, termagant, initially appointed to the County Court by Republican Governor John Edward Bush in 2000, and then to Circuit Court by Governor Charles Crist, who was then a Republican.

Christensen is no scholar and no mensch. 

To borrow a line from Gore Vidal, her retirement is a "good career move."

Judge Christensen was formerly a partner in a law firm with attorneys Geoffrey Dobson and Ronald Wayne Brown, conflicted attorneys for local businesses and governments.  She was briefly law partners with then-Commissioner Susan Burk of St. Augustine.

Putnam County Judge Patti Ann Christensen's solipsistic, narcissistic resignation letter is revealing, inasmuch as she says her mentor was another bumptious bully, former Circuit Judge Robert Keith Mathis, mean-spirited son of another bully, segregationist judge, Charles Mathis, who put the St. Augustine Four in juvenile jail for civil rights protests.  Judge Robert Keith Mathis was outed on this blog after he:

• posted animus and animadversions online, including attacks on the Michelle O'Connell family on Easter Sunday, claiming there was no federal jurisdiction
• suggested Bar charges be brought against a lawyer Anne Marie Gennusa, who successfully sued Sheriff DAVID BERNARD SHOAR for Fourth Amendment violations -- illegal surveillance. 

(This blog outed Judge Robert Keith Mathis on his O'Connell and Gennusa attacks when the St. Augustine Record abolished anonymous commenting, revealing that Old Dog was indeed mean 'ole Mathis.)

We're now blessed with good local judges, and it's good news that this bad apple has retired.

 

Patti A. Christensen Circuit Court Judge

October 1, 2020

STATE OF FLORIDA

SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

Putnam County Courthouse Suite 303
410 St. Johns Avenue Palatka, Florida 32177

Phone: (386) 329-0263 Fax: (386) 329-0896

Honorable Governor Ron DeSantis The Capitol
Tallahassee FL 32399

Re: Retirement of Circuit Judge Patti A. Christensen Dear Governor DeSantis:

I have decided to retire and resign my post as Circuit Judge, effective at the end ofthis year.

It has been my honor and privilege to serve the people of the Seventh Circuit, which comprises St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler, and Volusia counties. I began my service in 2000 as a County Judge in St Johns County and then as a Circuit Judge in Putnam County beginning in 2010. I have Governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist to thank for appointing me to these positions, and the voters of the circuit for re-electing me through three different election cycles.

I was greatly influenced by St. Johns County's first female County Judge, the Honorable Peggy Ready (Ret. Col, US Army). Following in her pioneering footsteps I became the first female Circuit Judge in Putnam County. I have had the pleasure of working with two excellent Clerks of Court, Cheryl Strickland and Tim Smith, who facilitated cordial and working relationships with the judiciary. I was mentored by the Honorable Robert Mathis who is not only smart, but practical as well. I am proud to say that I have been a part of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, comprised of competent men and women jurists who do their utmost to deliver true and fair justice.

In selecting my replacement, I hope you will give due consideration to someone from Putnam County. I am sure it will be tempting to tap into the reputable qualified pool of attorneys from the Ponte Vedra area where many of our local judges reside. But Putnam County has plenty of talented attorneys who would make excellent candidates for Circuit Judge. Unlike St. Johns, Flagler and Volusia, Putnam does not have beaches or the interstate. It does not rely on tourism. It is inland, with agriculture and industry providing its jobs. Someone from here will understand the mindset and uniqueness of Putnam County. Putnam County deserves to have a local circuit judge.

They say hindsight is 20/20 and so with this in mind I am putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. At the close of business on December 31, I will be wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and thanking them all for their wonderful support.

Sincerely,

Patti A. Christensen Circuit Judge