Judges's Are Human Too

by Irene Author of Paradise Costs

I, on occasion, work in a courthouse. Across from the office I am in there is a judge's office and his clerk's office. I have seen the judge a few times from across the hall and he's always says "good morning" and asks if I would like coffee or to let him or his office know if there is anything they can do to help me.

Recently, the judge walked into my office without his robe. He is a man with an aura of goodness and this was the first time I was close to him. He said, "Good morning, I am Judge XXXXXX."

I stood up and introduced my self and said, "Good morning, Judge." I extended my hand to shake hands with him and he shook my hand and I told him my name. Then, he asked me for a favor.

He explained that there was a prisoner in the back of the court that had been brought over to be swabbed for DNA. They hoped to define whether he was the father of a new born baby girl. It seems, according to the judge, that the alleged father and the mother had gotten into some trouble and the woman went into labor.

Both the mother and the newborn were found to have illegal drugs in their blood stream said the judge. The mother skipped town immediately after the birth and left her newborn child in the nursery in the hospital. The judge wanted to know how soon the company I work for could establish paternity because the male prisoner's brother asked to be given the newborn.

The judge explained that he would like to place the infant with family if he could determine whether there was any. He asked me to help him by working with an out-of-state company to move a mountain of paperwork to accomplish this so that the infant would not remain in the hospital or worst yet be placed in foster care.

We arranged for me to go to the hospital to swab the baby at the end of my day so the specimen would be included in a DHL pkg that left the next day. We worked out a special protocol with the out-of-state company as well and I was willing to stay at the courthouse for as long as it took for them to make the arrangements. The judge worked on it all day and so did I. So did social services. The judge gave me a Court order to use when I got to the hospital. Then, he said he would send a social worker with me, too.

However, the hospital did not cooperate and did not return the calls to the court clerk, the judge or social services and the whole day went by. We were still waiting at almost 6 PM...the judge was still there trying to get this done. Sadly, it didn't happen.

But, I was very moved by a judge that came out of the lofty judicial chambers to mix with the common folk and ask for a favor, stayed with it all day and was still there when I left after 6 PM.

I was inspired that in an abyss of misery, corruption and bull a judge cared that much about a newborn baby girl...she doesn't even have a name and she is the recipient of love
and caring she will never know...make me kind of wonder what other wonderful things there are out there that never get noticed.

Also, I have heard from a man I deeply respect and revere, in fact, he's the very attorney mentioned above who went to jail for a client's right to be treated fairly. He told me, "many guardians take money out of their own pocket to help their wards. However, no one ever talks about what goes right in an overburdened human system struggling every moment of the day.

All I can say is: God bless the idealists where ever they appear.

Irene A. Masiello / author: PARADISE COSTS--A Victim's Daughter Fights Back Against Elder Abuse...the first pro-active, grassroots REALITY WRITING book urging Americans to help STOP ELDER ABUSE NOW / Elder Advocate & Member of the Elder Justice Coalition / Founder: Starlight Network News / Certified: Holistic Counselor, Stress Management Consultant & Adult Educator / NYC-based magazine columnist authoring a holistically based, spiritual self-help & personal empowerment column since 1998