Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Comments? Questions?

If you would like to leave a comment or ask me a question, this would be the place to do it. I'll try to respond to all of the posts, although there may be some questions I can't answer.

16 comments:

TAS said...

With respect to the matter of Michael Gaines:

Could you enlighten us as to why Gaines was in custody initially? Press reports are extraordinarily light on these details.

Rebecca said...

He was being held on a robbery charge.

Anonymous said...

Judge Pilshaw,

I wrote to you last weekend in the hopes that you would consider your actions and hopefully make some changes in your overall attitude and professionalism. Sadly you continue to make excuses. Please stop making excuses and start making changes. Your destruction during your time in family court, will have lasting effects. Your total disregard for the childrens lives you affected, is horrific. Time and time again I watched as you treated people as if they were nothing. You will hopefully not be re-elected. I pray that anyone who considers voting for you will take the time to attend your court room and watch your behavior. It's is only through accountability, that true change is possible.

Anonymous said...

You wrote to me last weekend? Where? I've never received any such letter? Please tell me more about it.

Judge Pilshaw

Anonymous said...

I am curious as to why the Eagle does this survey anyway. Since the lawyers don't have to identfy themselves, the area of law or what courtrooms they appear in, the results could be easily skewed by someone with an ax to grind. Judges should not worry about ticking off the lawyers......they should worry about the public....When the lawyers pay the judges salaries (obviously some earn thier money, some do not) then they sould be accountable to the lawyers.

Anonymous said...

The reason the Eagle does the survey is to give the public some idea of how people on the inside view a judges performance. The only other way to get this type of information is to sit in the judge's courtroom and get a first hand view. This isn't really very practical. You could ask the Judicial Review Board for any complaints against a judge but these are typically confidential. I agree a few attorneys could skew the results but 87 skew the results. No way.

Anonymous said...

Judge Pilshaw,
I wrote to you through your contact info on this site. I contacted you directly, rather then publicly. If you did not receive this, then I apologize for my assumption that you did not reply. I asked that you please consider your actions and the possibility that there may be some truth to your survey results. I am not a lawyer. I am a person who came before you in family court. While eventually, I was granted most of what I asked for where my sons were concerned, we all paid a heavy price. Both finacially and emotionally. You absolutely refused to read the results of the psych. evals. that you yourself ordered. Dispite the agreement by all 5 mental health professionals, that were choosen by the courts, that I am the stable parent. I tolerated your repeated lies about me in court. You called me names and said I was a horrible mother, without asking a single question of me. Your refusal to review the evidence cost my sons their college education funds, and a great deal of stress. The evaluations clearly state that my ex-husband is a pathological liar. who suffers from two serious mental illnesses. Not one time did you read the opinion of any of the 5 mental health professionals. Why? I'd like to say that I was the only person who experienced this behavior, but on several occasions I was last on your docket each day. During which time I observed that this is your overall behavior in all cases. I know your response to this will be that I am not qualified to judge you either. Who is qualified? It does not take a scientic study, to show your lack of regard for those lives you affect. Perhaps you were just having several bad days. Or perhaps your volitile rants are a result of a person who has simply been a judge to long. Maybe a return to a simplier life will bring more happiness and peace into your life. If your life is filled with as much stress as you inflict on others, I pray that a positive change is in your future. And I say this in the most sincere way possible. I will pray that you are given the strength to change.

Rebecca said...

I'm sorry that you were unhappy with the results of your hearing in Family Court. I don't remember the case but I can assure you that I read everything that is presented to me.

I am very uncomfortable discussing individual cases, especially in a public forum like this. I hope things are going well for your family.

Anonymous said...

Judge Pilshaw,
Sadly it's not about my individual case. It was the actions I observed in your courtroom. My case is long over and the damage done. We have found forgivness for the entire situation,including for ourselves. Growing up my mother said this to me often; In every situation there is always one person who is difficult and unprofessional. If you look around and don't see that person, then its you. At least in your courtroom, I knew it wasn't me. Best of luck to you as well.

Anonymous said...

Judge Pilshaw~
When I was a single father at 18. My daughters mother and I were assigned to you as a judge and as a male I was terrified because you were a women. Rob Rumsey was my lawyer and a good family friend and assured me that out of all of the judges you were as fair as could be. When you walked into the room I have to admit I was intimidated. But you listened to both sides of the story, you saw that I was truly working as hard as I could to provide my daughter with he best care possible and that her mother was not. In the end I won custody of my daughter which was something that I did not think was possible for an 18 year old male. To this day my daughter still lives with me and we are both doing very well. I have since married and my wife and I have our own stable and successful family. Thank you for putting the law before personal agenda's like so many judges do! Good luck in November!

BD

Rebecca said...

BD,

I'm glad to hear that you are doing so well and congratulations on your new marriage. I also want to thank you for the kind words. They are greatly appreciated.

Rebecca

Anonymous said...

I have familiarity with criminal courts. I have sat in many Courtrooms, and seen judges do a lot of things. Some judges can be condescending, or distant from people they have in front of them. Judge Pilshaw has always demonstrated, and made clear, that if she put a person on probation, that she was rooting for them to succeed as much as anyone could. I know that some troubled youths have even come back to visit her after they went on probation, or finished probation, just to let her know that they were succeeding as she had challenged them to do. I believe that she has had a positive impact on people who appear before her. This is different from some judges who are distant and unapproachable and uncaring.

Anonymous said...

87 lawyers couldn't skew the results of the survey after 15 years in criminal, civil, and family law? Au contraire.

If every judge worked as hard as Judge Pilshaw, we would not need 28 of them. She uses taxpayer dollars wisely up on that bench, and her caseload and appeal statistics "affirm" that.

Anonymous said...

As a criminal attorney who appears before Judge Pilshaw regularly I can assure you that she is just as fair as the next guy, if not more so. She listens to both sides of every story, and makes a determination based on that. She also solicits feedback from anyone involved in any criminal case, from the victim, defendant, prosecutor, defense attorney, probation officer, or anyone else involved. She is sometimes loud and somewhat intimidating I will admit, but when it comes to the law, she places upholding the law before her own politial or personal agenda. While she is not perfect, she is one of the few Judges we have that actually follow the law, and that do not tolerate dirty underhanded tricks by either side. Vote Judge Pilshaw, and vote continued uphodling of the law, and of constitutional rights that we all hold dear. Or vote in the other guys and who knows what you will get.

Anonymous said...

Now that you lost the election will you continue blogging?

Rebecca said...

I actually think I will enjoy blogging more now that I will be able to be more open about things. I'm still a judge until mid January but I may revamp my blog and get more into it.