I had submitted my application to succeed Judge Bull on the
Sibley County District Court bench. I
was named one of three finalists and was waiting to hear Governor Perpich’s
decision. I knew from other recently
appointed judges that sometimes the Governor interviewed his finalists and
other times just made the decision and informed the candidate.
Patty and I were home one January evening. Our children were at school. I had just commented that we should be
hearing a decision soon, as the necessary background checks should have been
completed, when the telephone rang.
“Hello”
“Is this Thomas McCarthy?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Is this the Thomas McCarthy who is an attorney at law?”
“Yes it is.”
“Hello, Thomas. This
is Rudy Perpich calling.”
The heart rate about tripled! The governor wanted to meet with me the next
day. He invited me to come to the
Governor’s Mansion at 7:00 a.m., before he was to have breakfast with former
Governor Orville Freeman. Wow!
I walked into the other room and told Patty, “I don’t know
if this is an interview or if he is going to tell me I have the appointment,
but you and the kids are going with me to meet the Governor tomorrow
morning!” I really didn’t know if this would
help or hurt, but if I were going to be a judge, it was a decision that
affected the entire family.
And so it was that shortly before 7 a.m. the next day, we
were ushered into the mansion to meet the Governor.
Governor Perpich was a gracious host. We talked for perhaps 20 minutes – and I
didn’t know whether this was an interview or an announcement until he picked up
a pen and signed a photograph, “Congratulations, Judge McCarthy!”
I imposed on his staff to take a few photos with the camera
I’d brought along. Fortunately, the
Governor had a few more taken with a Polaroid, as it wasn’t till we were home
that I realized I’d forgotten to put film in the camera! (For you younger readers, that was something
we had to do in the olden days to have photographs!)
When Mark, our fourth-grader at the time, got to school his
teacher asked where he’d been. “We were
at the Governor’s house! My dad is going
to be a judge!” To which his teacher
replied, “Mark, really, where have you been?”
Next Week: Taking the Oath
