After the first couple of weeks following my appointment to
the bench shadowing experienced judges and soaking up as much of their
knowledge as I could, I was assigned to a criminal calendar in Scott
County.
For the first time, I walked into the courtroom and the
bailiff cried, “All rise! Scott County
District Court is called to order, the Honorable Thomas G McCarthy presiding.”
Wow, people are standing as I come into the room! Pretty heady stuff, but I realize that it is
the position of judge, not Tom McCarthy, to which is the respect is shown.
The butterflies are doing acrobatics in my stomach as the
attorneys present their cases. The first
two are routine, with agreements among the lawyers. The third one, however, has no agreement and
I must make the call.
I think I know
what to do, but am a little gun shy this first day. I indicate that we’re going to take a short
recess and I will announce my decision when I come back on the bench. I head down the hall to Judge Young’s
chambers, explain the situation to him and tell him how I thought I should
proceed. “You know what to do,” said the
judge in a matter of fact manner. “Just
trust your instincts.”
So I returned to the courtroom, announced my decision and
tried to contain my surprise when no one argued with me about it. Hold on, I thought, I’m the one who has to
make these calls and the attorneys will pretty much accept them, unless I’m way
out of line. Judges are supposed to
listen carefully to the arguments, weigh the merits and decide. If there were continuing arguments over every
decision a judge makes, no case would ever be finished! The wheels of Justice turn slowly, but grind
exceedingly fine, goes the old saying.
If a judge’s decision was not final, the wheels of Justice likely would
stop.
OK, lesson learned. After
that hearing, the rest of the day passed uneventfully.
And now, a quarter century later, I try to remind myself to
pause as I enter the courtroom, recall the thrill and fear of that first day in
court, and remind myself again of the awesome honor and privilege that has been
invested me to serve the people of this State during some of the most important
events in their lives.
* *
* * *
Next week: Black Robe
Disease
