A Life in Law

This past week in our Women and Leadership Class Mary DeGenaro came and presented to us what her life as a district judge was like.  She explained the different levels of the judiciary system in both the United States and Ohio.  Her presentation was very interesting to me because my father is a defense attorney.  Throughout my life I have only heard about my father's perspective of the judicial system, which I adopted as my own.  Sometimes his opinion included a very biased view on how every so often judges are unfair and unreasonable.  The fact that my father defended the alleged (and most of the time guilty) probably played a role too.  His outlook encouraged judges to be more understanding of his client's case, depending on the severity of the crime.  Many times in misdemeanor cases he defended did the the judge give very harsh punishment.  This point of view of the court systems in Ohio was a very finite outlook upon the judicial system.

Judge DeGenaro's presentation made me more aware of the judicial system from a judge's perspective.  She explained how, even though it might not seem like it, it is a judge's duty to be fair and impartial on all matters, even if they are not in the court room.  They can not side with certain organizations that portray a controversial approach towards a certain subject.  It was also interesting when she was explaining how the process of writing a settlement to a case involved an intricate process between herself and her law clerks.  By this procedure, her opinion is reviewed by others, allowing it to be further reviewed for bias.  Her final remarks on being a woman with a professional position were ones I will never forget.  Every girl wants to grow up and have a family.  But the balance between having a career and family can often be challenging for a woman.  Mrs. Degenaro chose to cut back on work while raising her family.  This however, did not impede her success as a working woman.  I will most likely take this approach when I get older and have a family.  Judge Degenaro's words were very reassuring as I have just embarked on my college journey to become a woman in a professional career.