Several months after I had
been sworn in as a Trial Court Judge, I was sent to the National
Judicial College
at the University of Nevada – Reno
for a three-week orientation course.
This program was designed to help new judges acquire the basic skills of
judging as we assumed our duties.
(Budget restraints have eliminated this valuable skills program for new
judges in Minnesota
today.)
So off I went, to live in a
college dorm for three weeks along with several dozen judges from across the
country, and even from other countries.
One of the judges I hung around with the most was from Japan.
The days were jammed full of
classes, and attendance was strictly required.
There were no slackers among us!
We would be presented with a lecture on criminal procedure or evidence
or ethics and would then retire in small groups of about a half-dozen judges to
discuss. That is where the real learning
took place – discussing and debating and learning from each other.
While the work week days were
scheduled very tightly, the weekends, however, were open. As our children were still in school, Patty
could not come out to join me, so I was on my own from Friday afternoon till
Monday morning.
One weekend, I visited an
aunt and uncle in Modesto, and my best friend
from law school in Fresno. That trip included a short visit to Yosemite National Park – a gorgeous jewel of the
national park system.
The other weekend, I drove
completely around Lake Tahoe, including a stop at the Donner Memorial near
Truckee California
– another beautiful place with a tragic history.
The scenery of Lake Tahoe was truly stunning. I really wished that Patty could have enjoyed
the day with me. I was feeling pretty
lonely.
Around supper time, I stopped
at a Chinese restaurant. Seated by
myself at a table, I watch couples coming in, and felt more and more lonely and
homesick.
After my meal I looked at my
fortune cookie. It was the only fortune
cookie I have ever opened that literally brought tears to my eyes. It read:
You are deeply attached to your home and
family.
Another fortune: A few years ago, I joined some other judges
at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. That
fortune is on my computer monitor at work, and has brought smiles from visiting
judges using my office:
Your judgment is a little off. Rely on friends.
Sometimes the cookies are
right, sometimes, they are a little off…..
* * *
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Next Week: I do
