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We, the attorneys in the community, need a judiciary willing to heed that call. We need intelligent judges who will ignore the peripheral issues and focus on understanding the facts and applying the law to those facts to craft resolutions based in justice. We need sagacious judges who will render decisions even when those decisions go against esteemed counsel. We need compassionate judges who will show mercy and grace to the attorneys and their clients who are sometimes traumatized by the events that have brought them into their courtrooms. We need “Teflon” judges who will not hold a grudge against the attorneys who appeal those decisions at times. We need good judges and we need to honor the efforts of the ones we have serving currently. We need to recognize that they are human. We need to remember that most people don’t get up each day determined to screw up, so, we acknowledge that our judiciary are doing the best they know how with the cases, staff, and resources before them.
As I am writing this article, there’s a song from the 1980’s running through my mind: “We’ve Got Tonight.” While the song topic certainly doesn’t apply, the lyrics from the first verse may (bear with me, I have a point.):
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I know it’s late. I know you’re weary. And I know your plans don’t include me. Still here we are, both of us lonely. Longing for shelter from all that we see…
Being me, I can’t help but to draft my own
chorus:
We’ve got today. Maybe tomorrow. Don’t give me a continuance. Please let me stay.
When I think about all that I “see” on a daily basis, it must pale in comparison to what our judges “see”. From arguments over custody in family court to allegations about the missing diamond ring in probate court (there’s ALWAYS a diamond ring), some days it must be more than a mere mortal can bear. When the sometimes less-than-professional conduct of attorneys is added in, I believe the line “I know you’re weary” are the words we attorneys should utter first every time we enter a courtroom. Sometimes attorneys can feel alone in the struggle. Judges must too.
Long before I ever darkened the doorstep of (the former) John Rogers Hall at the Tulsa University College of Law, I wanted to be a lawyer. When I was working as a CPA, I always thought about it, and when I finally got the opportunity to go to law school, I was thrilled that I had the chance to do something I had always dreamed of doing. Now, there are days that I’m living the dream … and then there are the days when I would prefer to let the dream die in quarantine. However, in all of that dreaming, it never occurred to me to consider being a judge. Perhaps that is why I am so grateful to have the task of highlighting the judiciary this month and giving them a written thanks for all they collectively do.
