From their positions on the bench, judges preside over the activities of the law community in the courtroom, including attorneys, court reporters and paralegals. There are many levels of courts at which Judges can serve. At the local level, they may attend to District Courts. "District Court presides over civil and criminal matters less than $25,000 in amount, or to misdemeanor criminal offenses," says The Honorable Paula Manderfield, 54-A District Court Judge in Lansing, Michigan. Judge Manderfield, who has served as District Court Judge since 1992, was elected in November 2000 to the Family Division of the Circuit Court. "When a legal matter exceeds $25,000 in amount, or is a felony criminal offense, it goes to Circuit Court," she says. As a District Court Judge she has handled criminal, civil, landlord-tenant, and Small Claims Court cases. In her newly elected promotion to Circuit Court, she will preside over criminal, civil and family cases, and other cases filed against the State of Michigan.
"It's tough to specifically 'prepare' yourself for a job in the Judiciary," says The Honorable Richard Ball of the 54-B District Court in East Lansing, Michigan. "Most people who serve on the bench get there through a legal career," he says. "One usually happens into an opportunity to get elected or be appointed by a government official." Most states require that judicial candidates have a legal degree and at least five years of comprehensive legal experience performing various legal tasks for a law firm or in private practice. That requires the completion of four years undergraduate study followed by another three years of law school - all told, a commitment of 12 years or more including time for practical experience.
Associated judicial careers can include adjudicators, magistrates, and hearing officers. "The legal field is most closely associated with a career in the judiciary," says Judge Ball. "You've got to have legal experience to be a judge." Other associated careers include paralegals, legal assistants, court clerks, mediators, and arbitrators.
Local, State or the Federal government employs judges, with 40 percent of them working for the Federal government. The number of law school graduates skyrocketed in the 1970s to double that of the 1960s, which significantly outpaced the growth rate for job availability in the judicial field. This trend has continued into the new century. According to the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be stiff competition for judicial careers through the year 2008. Judiciary opportunities may increase slightly in the years ahead, as a trend toward early retirement becomes an increasingly attractive option for those currently serving a judgeship. Nonetheless, "It's tough to get a judgeship," say both Judges Ball and Manderfield.
Judge Richard Ball knows the value of an election recount. Elected to his bench in 1992, he beat his incumbent judicial opponent by a margin of only 67 votes. "We didn't find out about the results until 7:30 the next morning," says the Judge. His opponent had asked for a recount, a strategy that didn't work. "I gained two votes on the recount, increasing my win to 69 votes."
What makes it so tough to beat an incumbent Judge? "People don't know who to vote for in a judicial election because they don't know enough about the candidates. So, they often vote for the incumbent. Judicial elections, in fact, are the only elections in which there is an incumbency designation that appears directly on the ballet, such as The Honorable… or District Court Judge... That gives incumbents an advantage."
Judge Ball was disappointed to see how the media portrayed the political affiliations of the Florida Supreme Court Judges in the recent presidential election rulings. "The media was constantly describing the political affiliation of the Florida Supreme Court Justices, to give an impression that it made a difference in their decisions. I was especially surprised to see the way the second opinion was characterized so partisan. I thought it was unfortunate."
Do the courts belong in the electoral process?
"It's not for the judiciary to determine what the disposition of the electorate should be," says the Judge. "But, to the extent that there was confusion as to what the law meant, well…"
How can students best prepare themselves for a career on the bench?
"It isn't something that one seeks fresh out of law school," says Judge Ball. "It usually comes along as an opportunity. Some people may predetermine that they want to be a judge, but it's a difficult career to follow that way. You're either elected, or appointed by a government official. You can set yourself up politically, but you still have to be at the right place at the right time."
Is it possible to serve on the bench, raise three children, and remain intimately involved in your community? It is if you're The Honorable Paula J. Manderfield, recently elected Judge for the Circuit Court's Family Division in Lansing, Michigan. Having served as District Court Judge for the 54-A District Court since 1992, Judge Manderfield was recently promoted to Circuit Court Judge, winning her election by a sizeable margin of more than 7,000 votes. "I was very pleased with the election results," she says smilingly.
How did she accomplish such a feat?
"A lot of door knocking," she says. "I started campaigning in June of last year, and worked hard right up until the election."
What does she think about the judicial involvement in the recent presidential election?
"The case was filed by lawyers," she says. "That's how the courts got involved. I'm not sure whether the court belonged involved, and I suppose they could have denied the appeal, but attorneys, not the judges, filed the cases. Maybe there is politics at the Supreme Court level. The Judges, however, don't have to rule in political ways. But we live in a political society," she says. "So even if you're not a 'political' candidate, some people want to pigeon hole you as such."
Judge Manderfield was elected as an independent judicial candidate. She is not allied with any political party.
"Having the opportunity to treat people justly-to assure that what is right prevails considering the circumstances at hand," is what she likes most about her career. "There's a lot of gray areas to the law," she says. "It takes sensitivity and fairness to assure that justice is served. Especially, for example, when sentencing someone."
What does she like least about her chosen career field?
"It's an adjustment to work for Government," says Judge Manderfield, who spent 10 years in a private law practice before being elected in 1992. "You have to make sure that you're talking with the right person and saying the right things in order to assure that anything gets done. Otherwise, it can become a very slow process."
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