Stalwart State Employees

     There is a joke that has been told many times and I am sure you have heard it. How many government workers does it take to fix a pothole? Answer- Five, the one doing the work, two looking on and two telling the worker what to do. (Now laugh!)
     In my thirty-three experience working with state employees within the judicial system, I have found the exact opposite of the stereotype is true. The whole judicial system would run amuck if only the elected judges and officials did all the work. Hundreds of state employers are needed in every jurisdiction to run the judicial machinery. Some are the Trial Court Administrators, Clerks, assistant clerks, deputy clerks, court reporters, support staff for the judges and district attorneys, assistant district attorneys, probation officers, magistrates, workers in the Administrative Office of the Courts that keep tract of the millions of cases filed and disposed of every year and who maintain the computers and other essential equipment, and the professors at the Institute of Government that train, teach, and advise the elected officials and workers.
     I have found that the overwhelming majority of judicial state employees I have been associated with are hard working and diligent with an aptitude to see that justice is served. Many times, in order to finish a trial before the end of the court term, clerks, court reporters and other support staff work far into the night with the judge to see the trial to its completion. These people do their job day in and day out with few pats on the back and fewer raises. Legislators need to realize that the hard work of these state employees is the real reason that the Rule of Law is observed in our society and show appreciation where it really counts, with adequate raises and possibility of advancement.
     Two individuals with whom I have had close contact over the years exemplify stalwart and dedicated state employees. Sam Boyd retired December 31, 2004 after working 30 years in the judicial system as a probation officer, with the Parole Commission as Chief Case Analyst/Parole Case Analyst, as Parole Commission Administrator and since 1996 as the Criminal Justice Partnership Program Administrator. Over the years, Sam has weathered many shifting departmental and state policies and budgetary deficiencies but he has never failed to work diligently, tirelessly, and cheerfully with whatever job assigned within the Department of Correction. Throughout Sam’s distinguished career, he has maintained a strong work ethic and a desire to insure that state tax monies to rehabilitate criminals were wisely spent.
     The Honorable John W. Smith, District Court Judge in New Hanover and Pender Counties has recently been appointed by Governor Mike Easley as a Special Superior Court Judge and will travel throughout the state presiding over difficult Superior Court cases. John, as an Assistant District Attorney for 14 years, as District Court Judge since 1988 and as Chief District Court Judge for five years, has always been a tireless worker. Many nights I would return to the courthouse to check my mail after finishing a term of court in some distant county and I would find the light on in his office and John would be hard at work. This is the kind of dedicated effort that I see in many employees within the judicial system, unselfishly giving their time to insure that their important job is done correctly. I welcome John to the Superior Court bench and look forward to working with him on judicial matters.
     Yes, in this column I am doing unabashedly what is biblically appropriate according to Romans Chapter 13, verse 17: "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; honor to whom honor". Think about the high quality service state judicial employees are giving North Carolina citizens the next time you venture into your county courthouse and give them a smile and a kind word of appreciation.
Opinions expressed in this article are solely that of this writer and are not the official position of the Conference of Superior Court Judges. Readers with questions about the Judicial System may send inquiries to the Weekly News, to be responded to by Judge Hockenbury or by e-mail at www.judgejayhockenburybury.com.