Circuit Judge

Sometimes people think that the role of a judge is simply to follow the law. The judge listens to the facts, compares it to the law, and then tells the participants what the law says those facts require as far as the judgments goes. But the truth is, is that the legislature writes an enormous amount of discretion within the law, giving the judge power to do a whole range of things depending on what he or she thinks is right or best in that particular circumstance. So that gives you power to, a great deal of power, to rule things the way you feel is right. And so that's a nice blessing in the law, that discretion that's allowed.

You might imagine that being a judge is a lot of excitement and courtroom drama, but the truth is is that really the judge job is mostly quiet and a lot of paperwork. I've been a judge for 20 years and in 20 years I've only had seven or eight jury trials. I do a lot of bench trials, family law trials, and frankly those are long and dull and painful. I spend a lot of time struggling to stay awake, but overall it's worth it because you make a difference for good and you help people resolve their conflicts and problems, perform the important role function of the judiciary.