I think that the public expects judges on any court to be knowledgeable about the law and about life, to be level-headed and patient, to be good listeners who are open-minded, and to issue prompt and well-reasoned decisions. I bring to this race a track record of serving as that kind of judge for 16 years, and there is no better way to evaluate how a judge might handle his or her work in the future than to examine how that judge has performed in the past.
I’m very proud of my 16 years of service as a trial judge, and I think that my experience in that role will make me a very strong appellate judge right from the start.
I also think that I bring the kind of academic credentials and legal experience that the public rightly expects from judges on our most important courts. I was the valedictorian of my high-school class in 1983, and I graduated from Harvard Law School in 1990. I’ve argued before the Supreme Court of the United States, I’ve handled numerous high-profile and complex cases as a lawyer and as a judge, and I’ve demonstrated time and again that I approach my work in a non-ideological way and without any bias or prejudice.
I enjoy intellectually challenging work, I think that I’m a strong writer, and I like handling a variety of civil and criminal cases. My experience of working in the public sector and in the private sector, of working in large offices and small ones, of handling trial work and appellate work, and of serving as both a lawyer and as a judge will equip me well to take on the important work of reviewing trial-court decisions at the court of appeals.
I am grateful that this site gives me the chance to share some information about my background, and I commend those voters who are seeking out information about their judicial candidates. Judges can have a huge impact on their communities, and I think it’s vital that we choose smart, capable, hard-working, and experienced people for both our trial-court and appellate-court positions.