My husband is a judge and this has always been my fear

[liberalhistorian]

He is a mild-mannered, soft-spoken gentleman with a heart as big as all outdoors. Even in his fifties, he is a softie who would do anything in his power for those who need it, even those who may not have always treated him in a nice manner or who may have done him wrong. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt and is a firm believer in giving second, third and even fourth chances to those who may not always deserve it. He does his best to not respond to deliberate provocations, even those intended to "stir him up". In his work, he agonizes over his decisions, well aware that whatever he rules will have a significant impact on all lives involved. He strives for fairness and impartiality.

Yet there are those who blame him for the ills of the country and their world and who would wish him harm simply because of his position, without regard to his person or the reasoning behind his decisions. There are those who do not understand that, or who refuse to understand, that he must follow rules and precedents in his decisions and that he does not act without reason and that it is not "personal" against them when he doesn't give them what they want. There are those who DO take it personally. There are those who refuse to recognize that, in the case of judicial impropriety, there is a process in place to deal with it and that said process generally works quite well; such people refuse to allow the process to take place. There are those who would happily stir up rhetoric against his profession and position and who would rejoice in any harm done against him and his colleagues and who would think they'd done "good" because of it. And I fear for him because of such people. And such fears were realized for one family of one member of this profession last Saturday morning in Tucson, AZ.

My husband, you see, is a judge. A judge who does his very best, the very best job he can, to be as fair and impartial as he can. Yet, he is, like all judges, a moving target for some people, and one never knows when one of those people will act on it, as one did on Saturday.

Please keep him and all judges in your thoughts and prayers as they go about their work, attempting to do the best job they can under often difficult, stressful and emotional conditions. And speak up for them whenever you may hear heated rhetoric against them from those who both stir up frenzies against them and those who would actually take action because of said words.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. Judges are threatened constantly.

I don't think the public realises it. I was a court reporter for many years, and was aware that they get nasty letters and phone calls and many of them carry guns.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. And prosecutors.

[liberalhistorian]

11. Very true, they also receive

their fair share of threats.

[pacalo]

2. I could see how this would really hit home with you. As a judge, did your husband have any ideas

about how to turn this country around for the better?

[liberalhistorian]

4. Yes, it does, indeed, hit home, and it's always

galling to hear invective against judges knowing that they don't even know him or most of the judges they're talking about. My husband thinks one of the first steps is to get rid of the "with us or against us" extreme rhetoric, whereby if you disagree in the slightest with someone you're therefore the "enemy." The internet has contributed greatly to that, and I'm really not sure if we can ever fully put the genie back in the bottle in that regard.

[pacalo]

10. I agree! I also love Sheriff Dupnik's suggestion about forming a commission to study ways of

improving the media's discourse. That's the root of the problem, & whatever is written on the internet is generally stimulated by what is said on radio & tv, sadly. Hate radio has been around for decades, but things really changed when George " you're-either-with-us-or-against-us" Bush & Fixed News came into the picture.

If something is done about anti-American principles being broadcast over the public airwaves, I do believe it's possible to put that ugly genie back into its bottle.

:hug:

[Catherina]

3. Rec'd with support. n/t

[upi402]

5. We need more like him

Don't give up - is my hope and wish for him. k/r

[liberalhistorian]

6. Thank you.

I grew up with hard-working teachers whose profession was maligned and blamed for things beyond their control, while the appreciation and compensation was nowhere near what it should have been. Now I see the same thing with the judiciary.

[upi402]

8. I know many maligned lawyers who are very good souls

through fellowship/association. Although I've been harmed and exploited by one, I've learned not to judge and stereo type lawyers and cops.

And then there's this dichotomy; I have found RWers very consistent in their opinions - though some are straight and go to church, and others smoke pot and love horror films. They consistently have violent opinions of liberals and vote against their own best interest. So, I tend to judge them. Too many years of futily trying to debate and reason with them, I guess.

[liberalhistorian]

12. There are, indeed, plenty of good attorneys with good hearts

who do their best to serve people. There are, of course, scum in the ranks, just like there are in any profession. And there are also bad judges of all stripes, of course, but judiciary discipline boards are generally very good at cracking down on them.

I do disagree with your conclusions regarding all conservatives, however. I've known plenty who've been fair-minded and reasonable and with whom I've had civil discussions, some within my own family.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. k&r

[nolabear]

13. Thanks to him, and you, for doing the hard work. I've been in front of judges with clients

in my capacity as therapist. Maybe I've been lucky but I've always found them to be fair. Even when the judgment isn't what I would hope, I haven't felt that the people were held in contempt, but were really given a chance to make their cases. Some were happy with the outcome, some not, but I've got great respect for how very, very hard a job it is. I'm sorry you've been given cause to be afraid.

[liberalhistorian]

14. Thanks. People really don't realize just how stressful

a position it is and how much they worry about making the right decisions. They're very aware of the fact that they can't possibly know everything there is to know about a particular case and the parties involved and they worry about making a wrong decision that will adversely affect lives.

As far as safety, that's always been a worry with all judges, no matter where or what type of court. Especially in lower courts where security is much less heightened and in smaller communities where more people are likely to know where you live.