Michelle Spence-Jones Says Judge Who Ruled Against Her Shouldn't Have Been Assigned to Case

When Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jorge Cueto ruled that Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones could not run for re-election, he failed to disclose that he had investigated her when he was a lawyer in the State Attorney’s Office, Spence-Jones said Thursday. She said he shouldn’t have been assigned to the case, and questioned how he could be impartial, given the circumstances. Cueto said through a spokeswoman that he is not able to comment because of judicial rules. Emails showed that Spence-Jones and her attorney were aware that the judge was previously employed at the State Attorney’s Office, but she claimed that only after Tuesday’s decision went against her did she find out Cueto had been on a prosecution team targeting her.