An Appreciation of the Many Roles and Responsibilities of a District Court Judge

In December, the School of Government held the first week of orientation for new district court judges. The class included thirty-one new judges. Most of the judges took the bench January 1, though a handful were sworn in last year to fill vacancies by gubernatorial appointment. One of the challenges in creating an orientation program for new district court judges (which my colleague Cheryl Howell has done for more than two decades) is addressing the myriad of matters that fall within their jurisdiction.