News-Record.com

Thanks to the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad for hosting a forum for Guilford County District Court judicial candidates today. It was an excellent event giving usually overlooked candidates a chance to talk about themselves in front of real, live voters.

Only those candidates on the primary ballot May 6 were invited to participate. Those were:

Robert Enochs, Linda Falls and Angela Foster, running for the seat currently held by Falls.

Avery Crump, Greg Gorham and A. Robinson Hassell, running for the Hassell seat.

Betty Brown, Lora Cubbage and Charles L. White, running for the seat held by the retiring Lawrence McSwain.

And Randle Jones, Polly Sizemore and Barbara Washington, running for the Sizemore seat.

All but White and Washington attended. They couldn't be there but sent statements that were read on their behalf.

Many other judges sat in the audience. Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry to get to an interview after the judicial event that I almost ran over Judges Pete Hunter and Teresa Vincent in my car. I wouldn't want to defend myself in court if I'd done that.

I'm not prepared to express any opinions about the qualifications of the candidates, and we won't be offering endorsements until the general election. But I'd like to mention just a few things that impressed me.

Enochs, an assistant district attorney, noted an imbalance in the system: public defenders seem to be more overworked than prosecutors and often have less time to prepare for cases. That's unfair.

Foster, an attorney in private practice and the mother of five, expressed a strong interest in young people: "I want to stop juveniles from becoming adult offenders. I think I can do that. I know I can do that."

Crump, an assistant district attorney, said she's more qualified than any candidate to preside in juvenile court, and that with McSwain retiring, someone has to step up. "My passion, my desire is to go into juvenile court," she said.

Hassell, a member of the city's Bicentennial Commission, noted that Greensboro was established to create a centrally located seat of government for Guilford County, making the point that law and order is the foundation of our society. Unfortunately, the point at the exact center of the county was too marshy, so the courthouse had to be built a little to the south -- meaning it's important to set our legal system on solid ground.

Brown, an assistant public defender who has worked in both the Greensboro and High Point courthouses, observes a disparity in resources and says of High Point residents: "They pay taxes, too, and they need services, too."

Jones, also an assistant public defender, has been mayor of Stokesdale for many years: "That gives you the ability to have a judicial temperament," he said.

Sizemore, appointed to the bench last year, responded with a personal experience to a question about the death penalty (although, as some other candidates noted, District Court judges don't handle capital cases except in initial bond hearings). As a private attorney, Sizemore once took a case on appeal for a man who was sentenced to death for the murder of an elderly minister. The killer was 21 when he committed the crime. He had been raised in foster homes his entire life until reaching his 18th birthday, when he was turned out on the street. All the appeals failed and Sizemore attended his execution. "He is on my mind every day when I see children in foster care," she said.

Sorry to have left some out. I'd like to refer you to all their Web sites, but I could find only a couple, linked above. They all need Web sites. They don't get a lot of attention from voters, but those who sit on the District Court bench make countless decisions that affect people's lives.

Please take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about these candidates ... and drive more carefully than I do.