[blindlaw] Bench Bar Conference

[David Andrews]

At the risk of being argumentative, I would urge you to think about 
whethe3r your sign/slogan is a good idea or not.  You can't or 
shouldn't hide your blindness, on the other hand do y0ou want to lean 
on some old stereotypes, that shouldn't be perpetuated, and in fact 
may come back to bite you in the .....

Dave

At 02:43 PM 11/16/2012, you wrote:
>Elizabeth:
>
>Four County Criminal Court at Law Judges are retiring at the end of next
>year in my county of residence.  I am seriously considering running.  In
>fact, I have already formulated my campaign slogan.
>
>On the far left side of the yard signs and push cards will be a photo of me
>with my sunglasses on and my cane visible.  To the right of my photo it will
>read "Daniel McBride for Judge of County Criminal Court One...Because
>Justice Should Be Blind".
>
>I cannot think of a reason in the world why you shouldn't run for one of
>your judicial positions.  Further, I have no objection to  you using my
>slogan if you like same.
>
>Dan
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindlaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Elizabeth
>Rene
>Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 9:05 PM
>To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [blindlaw] Bench Bar Conference
>
>Hi all,
>
>I'm writing to reflect upon a bench bar conference I attended on Monday
>through my county bar association.
>
>Judges from every level of my state's court system, from muni court presider
>to supreme court chief justice, spoke all day in panels to engage lawyers in
>upcoming developments, bench bar relationships, election patterns and their
>impact on judicial diversity, and future trends in court staffing.
>
>One striking revelation consistently communicated from the bench was that 40
>to 50 percent of the judges now sitting will retire within the next five
>years.
>
>This was disheartening to me because well-liked and well-respected judges
>who have been icons of the court will soon be gone, I know I'll miss their
>presence, and there'll be a kind of knowledge and experience gap yawning in
>the near future that will take years to fill.
>
>But as the day progressed, I started to have a new feeling.  Gee, maybe I
>could be one of those new judges!
>
>There'll be a labor shortage on the bench, which has to mean opportunity for
>any qualified and committed person who wants to serve as a judge.  And
>there'll be a little bit of time to prepare for it.
>
>My state can't be all that unique.  So, my fellow blind lawyers, you might
>have such an opportunity in store, too.
>
>With the technology now available to us, the duties of a judge should be
>easier than ever before to perform without sight.  With a growing number of
>blind lawyers in practice, fellow members of the bar are coming to recognize
>us as practitioners of skill and integrity.  WE can do this.
>
>What do you think?
>
>Elizabeth