| Judge Matthew (Not Judy) Gets an 'A' |
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| Monday, 11 January 2010 | |
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The date was June 11, 1966. I was fifteen years old. I am half finished with my Biology final exam. I had studied for this exam for a week - I needed to 'ace' it in order to keep my 4.0 GPA intact. It was not going to happen - well not that day anyway. The biology teacher got called out of the room and returned with a subpoena for me. I was to be driven to the County Courthouse to arrive by 2:00PM. I had no idea what it was all about. I had never been in trouble and since I was only fifteen, I never even received a proverbial parking ticket. Despite my protests, I was escorted out of the class, put into a taxi and whisked off to the courthouse. At the courthouse, I was taken to the chambers of the Honorable Matthew. I sat in one of the two chairs that faced the judge's desk. After waiting about fifteen minutes, the Judge suddenly entered his chambers from the courtroom. I immediately was the proud recipient of "Who the hell are you?" and "What the hell are you doing in my chambers?" from the Judge. Ordinarily, I would be intimidated by the environment and the bellowing, however, I was pissed. I needed and wanted that 'A'. So I told him my name and related my tale of woe. I thought I saw smoke coming from his ears as I was finishing my story. At this point, I think he was more pissed than me. He got on his intercom and told his clerk that he wanted to see the lawyers involved in the case over which he was currently presiding. The counselors appeared quickly. The Judge then went into a tirade that berated both attorneys. Excerpts: "Why was this boy brought down to the Courthouse? Do you know he was in the middle of a final exam when he was yanked out of class to come down here? How is he going to get into a college if you drag him from his final exams?" The lawyers said they thought my testimony would be needed for the case that the judge was presiding. The Judge's response: "Well it was not needed. Now get the f*** out of my chambers." It turned out the case the Judge was referring to was determining parental custody for my brother and myself. My parents had divorced five years prior and today was D-Day as far as which parent would receive custody. The Judge had just listened to testimony from both sides and told the Court he would retire to his chambers to make the decision. That process was temporarily interrupted when he saw me in his chambers. He then turned to me and asked: "What do you want me to decide?" I told him that for the last five years I have told the court representative that visited me at my home on a quarterly basis that I loved both of my parents equally. But the representative always wanted me to choose a certain parent. So I alternated; one quarter I would say my mother; the next quarter I would say my father. I also told him I was not happy with seeing my mother once every three weeks (my father had temporary custody). I ended up telling him that I and my brother (he felt the same way I did) would like to continue living with my father but I wanted to see my mother any time, any where. He said "You got it". He went back into the courtroom and I could hear him tell all that this was the deal and if anyone did not like it they would be held in contempt of court. Three years later, I graduated high school. The day after graduation, I made an appointment to see the Judge. He remembered me. I told him I had been accepted to University and would start classes in the fall. I also told him his decision was a life changing event for me and I appreciated what he had done for me that day. He said he was glad for me and that he was just doing his job. Well from my viewpoint, I gave him an 'A' for a job well done. About the Author: Keyword Tags: divorce, custody, marriage, divorce proceeding |
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