I have always considered it a privilege and an honor to
serve as a trial court judge. One of my
colleagues told of an appearance he made as a young attorney before a very,
very busy judge. He hung back in the
courtroom at the end of a long day, not wanting to add to the judge’s workload,
but needing an Order signed.
Shortly, the judge looked up, saw the young attorney and
asked, “Counsel, how may I serve you?”
When I heard that story, I decided that was the kind of
judge I wanted to be. Too often, because
of the deference routinely showed to judges, there is a temptation to forget
that we are there to serve and to believe that it is we that should be
served. To remember that it is only by
the suffrage of the people we serve that we are granted this special privilege
to resolve the disputes placed before us is an absolute requirement for any
person who is given the authority to make the decisions that can literally
alter another’s life.
It took me many years to decide to routinely ask attorneys
and litigants, “How may I serve you?” At
first, it was very uncomfortable for me to ask, almost as if I were giving up
some of my authority. This was
especially true when there were many people in the courtroom, waiting their
turn.
It didn’t take too long, however, before the question became
second nature. It reminds me, every time
I ask it, that I am truly there to serve the people who appear before me. It is not MY courtroom. It is not MY schedule that is important. It is whether I have actually heard the
people appearing before me. It is
whether I have considered the arguments and correctly applied the law. It is, in the end, whether I have done
Justice.
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying that “Only a life lived
in service to others is worth living.”
Sounds right to me. I have been
truly blessed to have been able to be in a profession that has enabled me to
support my family and serve our
citizens.
I wish I could say that every case I have handled has given
me that satisfaction of a citizen well-served.
I do my best, and more often than not, feel I have done my best.
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Next week: Just
Another Day at the Office
