Why do you want to be Judge?

The short answer is because I believe there is a real opportunity to improve public confidence in our local system of justice and by doing so leaving it in a better condition than I found it. 

I have a great deal of respect and reverence for our Judicial System and I want to do everything that I can to preserve the integrity and protect the public’s confidence in our local Court system. To do that, we need to focus directly on the needs of those served by the Court. I believe the role where I can be most effective in advancing that goal is as a Judge.

If you drill down deeper into that goal and ask how do you accomplish it, my perspective is that you focus on 4 performance standards:

1. The Court must ensure that every citizen has access to justice. To accomplish that, the court must conduct its proceedings openly. Court facilities must be safe, accessible, and convenient to our citizens. A court must ensure effective participation by all who appear before it, and those individuals must not be subjected to undue hardship. The Court must operate courteously and with respect for all of whom it comes into contact. The cost of access to the court’s proceedings and records whether in time or money must be fair and reasonable

2. Court Proceedings must be efficient and timely. Unnecessary delay engenders injustice and hardship, and it is a prime cause of diminished public trust and confidence in the Court system. The Court must balance its existing case load with incoming cases through a regimented case management system. At the same time, the Court must promptly implement changes in law and procedure. Failure to do so, opens the Court to criticism for failure to comply with the law.  

3. The Judge must ensure that there is equality, fairness, impartiality, and integrity in the administration of justice. The Court must provide due process and equal protection of law to all who appear before it.  A Judge must ensure there is due process of law and that established procedure is followed in all cases. Justice must be perceived to have been done by those who directly experience a Court’s adjudicatory process and procedure. Jury pools must be representative of the community from which they are pulled. A judge must give individual attention to cases, without undue disparity in like cases and decisions can only be based upon legally relevant factors. A judge must also issue unambiguous, clear concise decisions. All court records must be completely recorded and adequately preserved so that any citizen who chooses to make inquiry into the existence, nature and history of an action, has the unfettered ability to do so.   

4. Independence and accountability; A court must maintain its institutional integrity as a separate branch of government. It must be conscious of its legal and administrative boundaries and vigilant in protecting those limitations. A Judge must also be independent of any political influence. A judge must be a good steward of public assets and accountable for the use of those resources. A Court must accord respect and dignity to all with whom it comes into contact and this includes its own employees, staff and other partners. A Judge and the Court also have a duty to educate the public by informing it of Court programs. The reality is the general public knows very little about the judicial system and usually the public perception is not factually accurate.  As Judge, I will make sure that accurate reporting is completed and informational literature is available to assist the public in understanding and appreciating the administration of justice. 

Justice must not only be done, but it must be seen by the Public to have been done. Therefore, a Court must be perceived by the public as being accessible not only to those who utilize its services today, but it must also be perceived as accessible by those who may utilize its services in the future. By focusing on and working towards the above performance standards every day, we can improve the integrity of and the Public’s confidence in our local Judicial System.