- This month’s newsletter is about service. You’ve had quite a career in public service prior to joining the bench. Was that something that was always important to you, something intentional or did it develop organically?
Answer: A hard question, but I think at some level a career in public service was intrinsic in me. The career in public service started intentionally but evolved organically.
- Did your time on Capitol Hill change the way you view our system of government and the role of the judiciary? If so, how?
Answer: My views on government developed throughout my schooling. By the time I began my Capitol Hill career they were formed. My time serving on congressional staffs in the Senate and the House added context and nuance, and my views have evolved over time, but my core views on government have remained consistent over time.
- Who do you most admire for their public service or service to the community?
Answer: Members of the Armed Forces.
- Would you rather write a precedential opinion now or the dissent that changes the law in 20 years?
Answer: Sitting on a trial court, I don’t get to sit on a multi-judge panel, so I can never dissent. I have to answer, therefore, writing a precedential opinion.
- What is the most important personality characteristic in a judge?
Answer: I can’t pick one – a combination of probity, equanimity, wisdom (combination of intellect and experience).
Rapid Fire Round!
- Mac or PC?
Answer: Paper and pen – Mac at home, PC at work.
- Top-three on your Spotify/I-tunes playlist?
Answer: I don’t use either.
- Mets or Yankees?
Answer: Alas, the Mets.
- Duk’s Red Hots or Gray’s Papaya Dog?
Answer: Neither, actually. Papaya King at 86th & Third.
- House Stark, Targaryen or Lannister?
Answer: I have never watched Game of Thrones. In college, however, I majored in medieval history.
Membership
The Bar Association provides its members numerous educational opportunities and opportunities for practitioners to meet and interact with the judges of the Court and colleagues from both public and private practice for these purposes. Our members work closely with the Court’s judges to develop programs, contribute to revisions of the Court’s Rules, and organize a broad range of educational and other activities.
