Judge Lee may be tough, but he’s good on the bench

Stephen L. Lustig is running for county court judge in Group 25. Voters may recognize him as the wildly successful trafficticket attorney and entrepreneur who built the “Ticket Titan” franchise in Broward County. Lustig, 51, is challenging incumbent Judge Robert W. Lee, who has been on the county bench for 21 years.

Lustig is an intriguing candidate, but he’s challenging one of the county’s most accomplished jurists. Voters should make sure that Lee, 57, keeps his job.

Lustig said during a Sun Sentinel endorsement interview that he decided to run against Lee because “a fresh perspective is good.”

He said judges who go unchallenged for too long tend to become “imperious.” He said it’s “natural and understandable” that a judge who serves for a long time would eventually become overbearing.

Although Lustig said his concern was a systemic flaw, it was interesting that he raised the issue with Lee sitting a few feet away from him.

That’s because Lee, who is a recognized leader in both the county and state court systems, has a reputation as a demanding — and at times condescending — judge.

“I do not accept that I am rude,” Lee said during the endorsement interview. “I am tough, but not rude.”

“I have expectations. People will show up on time and be prepared.”

Lee clearly sets high standards, keeps the wheels of justice moving and has no patience for attorneys or citizens who don’t show respect for the system.

“Parties too often treat the proceeding as if it is a sporting event – without a modicum of civility,” Lee wrote in his questionnaire for the Broward County Presidents’ Council of Democratic Clubs and Caucuses.

While Lee may grate on some people who appear in his courtroom, he seems to have the respect of his colleagues. He’s the county court’s administrative judge and he’s been invited to sit in on cases for the Fourth District Court of Appeal and in Miami-Dade County cases.

Lee’s resume is replete with awards and honors. In 2016, he received The Florida Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence, which is awarded to only one county court judge each year. He’s also been appointed to a variety of state Supreme Court committees and commissions, and he’s a prolific contributor to legal journals.

Lustig brings impressive skills to the race. too. A graduate of John Marshall Law School in Chicago, he started his own firm in 1995 and soon started building his “Ticket Titan” empire.

Lustig recognized the system for handling traffic tickets and minor criminal cases could be streamlined. He also realized potential clients can be intimidated by posh attorney offices, so he started putting legal “stores” at high-traffic locations around the region. In the early 2000s, his practice had the highest volume of cases in Broward County.

He also embraces technology. Noting that many people are hopelessly confused when they have to hire an attorney, he had an app created that “would let someone hire me at 3 in the morning and on a weekend.”

Lustig sold his business three years ago, he said, and travelled. But he found that unsatisfying. He’s not seeking the job because he needs the paycheck. “You can never be happy unless you’re making a contribution.”

He says he can apply his business acumen to the often chaotic Broward judicial system. “I always think efficiency. It’s a mindset.”

If his campaign is unsuccessful, a smart chief judge would tap Lustig as a resource to help the court system improve its processes and find new ways of doing things.

Lustig’s candidacy also is noteworthy because he’s the only candidate who’s been arrested for fighting with a Tae Kwon Doe champion. The altercation was in a sushi restaurant in Coral Springs in 1998. Prosecutors refused to file charges against him, he said, because witnesses testified that he was defending himself and two women.

Lee achieved some notoriety himself during the contested 2000 presidential election. He was chairman of the Broward County canvassing board and issued rulings during the infamous recount that angered both Democrats and Republicans.

Lee, who is openly gay, received the 2017 Volunteer of the Year award from the Stonewall National Museum and Archives. A graduate of the University of Florida Law School, Lee is single and lives in Fort Lauderdale.

Lustig is single and lives in Deerfield Beach.