I am fortunate to have practiced law in front of many fine judges over the course of my career as an attorney. I like to think I’ve taken a little bit from each one of them as I assumed my role on the bench.

First and foremost, a judge should be fair. Everybody in my courtroom gets to present their case before a judge that will listen to the facts and apply the law fairly—no one gets special treatment or an unfair advantage because of who they are or how much money or influence they may have.

Perhaps the most important quality that a District Court Judge needs is an ability to see issues from all sides. Throughout my twenty-six year career as a lawyer, I was able to do that by representing people on both sides of the courtroom in many different areas of the law. For example, I have represented mothers and fathers seeking custody or visitation of their children. I represented parents and the Child Support Enforcement Agency in Washington and Tyrrell Counties. I prosecuted (civil) domestic violence cases and defended persons wrongfully accused in those sorts of cases. I have represented parents whose children were taken by Social Services and also represented the child welfare agencies in Martin, Washington and Tyrrell Counties.

Since I’ve been a Judge, I have presided over all of those kinds of cases and many more. My experience has allowed me to see things from different perspectives, and I believe that leads to better outcomes in individual cases. In fact, I’m not sure how a judge can reach a fair and equitable decision without a wide range of experience.