This week, we celebrate the New Year. 2014 is upon us.
At this time of year, resolutions are the norm. I will, likely, make resolutions similar to
many I have made in the past: I will
lose 10 pounds. I will exercise on a
regular basis.
The Minnesota Court System has “resolutions”, too, although,
they are called “Court Performance Goals.”
As a system, we are asked to resolve certain types of cases (serious
criminal, child protection, marriage dissolutions) in a certain length of
time. There are many factors that are
not in the control of the judge or administration which may prevent us from
attaining those goals, but they are the goal to which we all aspire.
In 2007, the Minnesota Judicial Council established those
court performance goals and a process for monitoring progress toward meeting
those goals. According to the 2014-2015
Priorities and Strategies for Minnesota’s Judicial Branch, performance goals
are necessary to ensure accountability of the judicial branch, improve overall
operations of the court and enhance the public’s trust and confidence in the
judiciary.
My professional resolutions should be to act so that I will
contribute to meeting the State Court system goals.
This is a special New Year for me, as it is the last I will
preside as a full time judge in Minnesota. So, I will propose for myself a unique
resolution. I wish I could take credit
for the original thought, but I heard it of a different profession at one of my
annual spiritual retreats:
Judge today as if it were your
first day on the bench.
Judge today as if it were your last
day on the bench.
Judge today as if your reputation
as a judge depends solely on how you judge this day.
To fulfill this resolution, I will have to be mindfully
aware of what I am doing each day as a judge.
I cannot be distracted by the Lions meeting or Lodge meeting that
night. I cannot even daydream about what
I may do in a few months when I no longer take the bench on a daily basis.
I know that I will not be able to maintain this
concentration each and every minute of each and every day, but I will make an
attempt to give my attention to the issue before me at all times. And I pledge, each drive home after work, to
review my day to see how close I came to meeting my resolution.
Happy New Year.
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Next Week: An Oath
for the Mayor
