VOTE411 Voter Guide

Juvenile judges make determinations in cases involving children in foster care, families involved in Family in Need of Services cases and delinquency.

Juvenile court must balance accountability with compassion. This is an opportunity to alter the course of children's lives.

I am a survivor of domestic violence, have served in the military, worked as an advocate for survivors of domestic violence, managed a 1500 square foot private practice law firm, represented parents whose chilfre are in foster care, worked as an ad litem for xhildren, currently work as a deputy prosecutor in juvenile court and I am a mother of 9 boys.

I have well rounded experiences and a broad knowledge of family law and the juvenile code.

Currently there are two juvenile benches in Washington and Madison County. My goal is to work with the other Judge that is elected to bring those two benches into alignment and have one juvenile court that is cohesive and seamless.

Circuit Judge, Div 3 is also known as “Juvenile Court”. The types of cases heard in juvenile court are delinquency (criminal offenses), dependency-neglect (foster care), & FINS (Family in Need of Services - cases that involve situations like truancy, substance abuse, runaway behavior). This court also hears some domestic relations cases like divorces & protective orders. This court has several hearings/trials each week. In addition to hearing cases, the juvenile judge supervises a staff which includes intake officers, probation officers, FINS officers, trial court assistant, and court reporter.

For 28 years, I have been the voice for children & families navigating some of the hardest moments of their lives. I am currently in private practice with an emphasis on child-welfare law & family law. I began my legal career in 1993 as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney handling felony, misdemeanor, & juvenile cases. In 1997, I began what would become a lifelong focus on child welfare, representing thousands of children in Family in Need of Services (FINS) and dependency-neglect (foster care) cases. I am a state-certified Attorney ad Litem in both dependency-neglect & domestic relations matters, certifications I helped develop while serving on the advisory committee for statewide standards. I have committed my career to children & families

I don’t know that it is a “change” or “improvement”, but I think it is critical to make efficient use of court time every week. Cases need to be heard promptly. As such, it is important for the judge to be proactive in overseeing the docket so that every minute of court time can be utilized effectively. Looking ahead to future weeks to remove any cases that won’t be heard for whatever reason would allow other pressing matters to be scheduled in those time slots. Waiting until the day of court to learn that a case will not be heard leaves valuable court time unused when another litigant could have potentially had his/her day in court.