A judge is required to be impartial, not stake themselves out on specific issues, and not get involved in politics, but a judge can, and absolutely should remedy injustice when the law is being broken and/or people’s rights are not being protected. I have spent 14 years standing in front of judges and talking to other attorneys and courthouse staff in Guilford and nearly every surrounding county and the following things seem to hold true for the most respected people on the bench.

Dignity for Others - Victims, Defendants, and civil litigants deserve to be heard and treated with respect because, though this may be a routine day for a judge, this may be one of the most important days for a person appearing in court. It isn’t just the parties to a case that deserve dignity, either. Courthouse staff and attorneys are at their place of business and deserve to have a judge who is considerate of efficiency, of taking breaks, of showing up on time, and treating them with respect no matter the type of a day that a judge is having.

Humility- The power of a judge’s decision can lead to the loss of liberty, or their home, or custody of their children. These decisions have to be made on the basis of the law and what justice requires, but that does not mean they are devoid of empathy. Holding on to the humility that is required of the terrifying honor of wielding authority over people is important to not losing sight of why we got into the practice of law in the first place: to help people.

Approachability- This goes hand in hand with humility, but is just as important. Anyone who claims that they know every law by heart is not being sincere. The practice of law requires constantly learning and not letting pride get in the way of listening to lawyers plead their cases and present caselaw and then taking the time to get it right. If I am elected to serve, I will make sure every attorney knows that I will never hold a grudge for receiving pushback about getting the law right.