Tag Archives: judges

Doing Good Can Be So Confusing

Posted on August 30, 2017 by

I’m Not a Pastor Apparently I confuse people. I don’t mean to, but I do. It becomes apparent mostly on line when someone writes that I should do something in particular, or I should refrain from saying something, or there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Judging the News

Posted on January 31, 2017 by

One thing my job has that most don’t is public scrutiny. Any member of the public can come by, sit down, and watch me work. My actions are reviewed by higher authorities where both affirmances and reversals are in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Voting Is No Excuse for Being Unreasonable

Posted on November 8, 2016 by

[Updated from the archives – a post to remind us how to treat one another reasonably on election day.] I’d been on the bench just a few years when I was given responsibility for administration of our courthouse. (It’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Character Still Counts

Posted on October 10, 2016 by

One of the things we try to balance in judicial ethics is recognizing that while judges are held to high standards in their public and private lives (there is no moment of day or night when I am not governed … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Sex in the Courtroom

Posted on April 6, 2016 by

The young man – well, legally a man but not for much longer – stood in front of me, separated by the space between the courtroom table and the judge’s bench where I sat in my black robe. He wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 30 Comments

My Journey From Junior Judge to Senior Sage – 20 years on the bench

Posted on January 27, 2016 by

Last summer marked my 20th year as a judge. Today marks my 56th birthday. You know that means I have a lot of cause to reflect on the passing years. Not that I did, though. Reflect, that is. Not until … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Holocaust Remembrance Day – When Nazis Ran the Courts

Posted on April 16, 2015 by

[Holocaust Remembrance Day began at sunset last night and continues through today. Here is a post from the archives to help us remember.] When Nazis Were Judges Judges, even the best of judges, sometimes make the wrong decisions. And then … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Parenting Skills and Courtroom Behavior

Posted on January 9, 2015 by

[Updated from the archives.] *** Courtrooms are formal and stuffy places, right? Serious business goes on there and everyone is on their best behavior, aren’t they? Would anyone act inappropriately? The answer to each of those questions is “You’d be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Judges and Bribes

Posted on September 12, 2014 by

[From the archives.] *** I went into a convenience store near work today. I stop in for a soda once in a while, and usually share a greeting with the woman who owns the place. Today her husband was there … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

When Nazis Were Judges

Posted on September 11, 2014 by

Judges, even the best of judges, sometimes make the wrong decisions. And then there are courts where the wrong decision is unavoidable because wrong decisions are part of the process. In Law, Justice, and the Holocaust (2009, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum), … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments