I have very much enjoyed being a judge. Many litigants in Magistrate Court are pro se<\/i>, meaning without attorney representation. I take particular pride in having litigants feel they\u2019ve had a fair hearing. I start each hearing saying:<\/p>\n
\u201c . . . . and near the end of the hearing I\u2019m going to tell you how I\u2019m thinking about your case \u2013 it\u2019s not my final decision \u2013 but I want you to hear my thinking out loud so in case I got something wrong, or missed something important,we\u2019ll come back to each of you one last time, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
It works pretty well. Like one of the court clerks told me, \u201cYou let people know you\u2019re listening to them.\u201d And the Bailiffs say folks leaving my courtroom seem to be feeling okay about what happened. One Saturday, while I\u2019m at the grocery store, this guy I don\u2019t know comes up and says, \u201cLet me introduce myself. I\u2019m the guy who sits in the basement at the courthouse and video tapes all the magistrate hearings,\u201d (we don\u2019t use court reporters) \u201cand I just want to say what a great job you do. Everybody gets heard. You keep everybody on point.\u201d It\u2019s nice to be recognized as a positive force.<\/p>\n
At any rate, the Court of Appeals never had to reverse me, and the only time I ever had to have the Bailiff remove anyone from the courtroom \u2013 it was my own kids! I\u2019d invited them to come see what their Dad does for a job. In advance I carefully explained courtroom decorum and etiquette, especially no sounds or outbursts from the audience. But they were only 10 and 8, and Nick couldn\u2019t help laughing out loud at a whispered joke Jack told him, and, all of the sudden, they both couldn\u2019t stop laughing, uncontrollably laughing, and I had to order the Bailiff to remove them from the courtroom. My own kids!<\/p>\n
![\"I](\"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/kissingBaby.jpg\")
<\/a>I never guessed he’d grow up to be the terror of the courtroom.<\/p><\/div>\n
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I have very much enjoyed being a judge. Many litigants in Magistrate Court are pro se, meaning without attorney representation. I take particular pride in having litigants feel they\u2019ve had a fair hearing. I start each hearing saying: \u201c . … Continue reading