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Rosemary Usher Jones, RIP

The Herald is reporting the death of Judge Rosemary Usher Jones.

Rosemary Holmes Usher Jones, a former Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judge in the juvenile and civil divisions, died Tuesday of cancer. She was 80.

The longtime Coral Gables resident had been living at East Ridge Retirement Village, Cutler Bay, for several years.

Jones won her seat on the bench in 1984, a political unknown who came with endorsements from the National Organization for Women and the Miami-Dade County Police Benevolent Association, as well as kudos for helping establish the county's first crisis-intervention phone line.

But Jones is also remembered for a terrifying ordeal that nearly took her life -- and for her gesture of gratitude in its aftermath.

During the Overtown riots of late December 1982, Jones found herself trapped in her Volvo by an angry mob. Attackers broke a window, yanked the doors open, grabbed her jewelry, then tried to drag her away. Two 15-year-old girls saved her.

She established a college scholarship for them. Later news reports said that one girl attended Miami Dade College.

She was tough and not everyone loved her, but she had a great sense of humor and clearly enjoyed being a judge.

RIP.

Full post as published by South Florida Lawyers on June 24, 2009 (boomark / email).