Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Eric W. Hendon, of Miami, to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court.

Hendon, 56, has been a Miami-Dade County judge from 1999 to 2003 and since 2006, taking the break to practice privately.

Judge Hendon has an exemplary record of service to the people of Miami-Dade County, Scott stated in a release. He is a fair, honest, and distinguished judge and understands and adheres to the important principle that judges apply, and does not make the law.

Hendon will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Joseph Farina.

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Betty Capote, of Miami, and Carlos M. Guzman, of Miami, to the Miami-Dade County Court.

Capote, 35, has served as an assistant state attorney in the Office of the State Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit, since 2001.

Through her work as an assistant state attorney, Betty has demonstrated that she is a great fit for the Miami-Dade County Court, Scott stated in a release. I am confident that she will serve the residents of Miami-Dade County with fairness and integrity.

Not very, according to an analysis authored by researchers Chester E. Finn Jr. and Amber Winkler, that appears today in the pages of National Review; indeed, our teacher unions are among the weakest in the nation:

"[A]re union biceps as brawny as ever, or growing flabby with age? Short answer: It depends, particularly on which state (or the District of Columbia) you look at, and at what point in time. Thats the central finding of our recently concluded three-year study of the relative strength of teacher unions state-bystate.