Qualifications
What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you forthis position?
I took office as Justice of the Peace in January 2023. Prior to becoming a judge, I worked as a litigator with over thirty years experience advocating for plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of cases. Since taking office, I have worked to make my court a model of what is possible, increasing access to justice, reducing and mitigating the harms of evictions, and taking common sense steps to make the court more effective, efficient, and equitable. This has included creating an award-winning Eviction Diversion Initiative; opening a legal resource center to help those without representation; launching a pilot program providing free legal services for people who can't afford them; and more.
Initiatives
What initiatives will you implement to facilitate the resolution of small claims cases and landlord-tenant disputes, and what is your approach to eviction proceedings to ensure that the rights of all parties are fairly considered?
We applied for and received a grant from the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) to create an Eviction Diversion Program to reduce eviction filings and mitigate their impact, providing litigants with information and resources to resolve their housing disputes in the least harmful manner. Our EDI program has led to a 44% decrease in default judgments. In September 2024 we opened a free legal resource center, a hub where people without legal representation can find free public use computers and printers and information in multiple languages to navigate their cases. We have also created access to justice forms and flyers, which we send with court notices, that link to guides to help self-represented litigants understand their rights.
