Kevin Fales插图
The Honorable Judge Rena Marie (David) Van Tine, 中科院“82, is on the leading edge of inclusion in the legal field, being the first female Indian American judge in the nation to serve on a state court. We sat down with Judge Van Tine who earned her bachelor’s of general studies with minors in computer science, 人力资源开发和沟通.
从公开大学毕业后, I completed one semester in graduate school at Michigan State 大学, 跨文化交际研究. During that time, I took the LSAT and decided that I would like to experience living in New York. 我决定上纽约法学院.
那是一所离家很近的大学, 当时, gave all faculty and their dependents free tuition. 我的母亲,医生. Indra David, was a faculty member for the library. After I graduated, she went on to become the dean of 韦德体育app官网’s library.
I loved the opportunity to work in a real-life work environment and gain great experience for law school. I worked for the then vice president’s administrative assistant, as well as one of the accountants in the office. I also had the opportunity to work at Meadow Brook Music Festival in the summer and attended many concerts. I spent a lot of time reflecting on life at the foosball and pool tables. I also spent way too many quarters on video machines and pinball machines, but I learned a lot about life from my fellow OU students.
I enjoy resolving disputes between parties so that people have closure on their legal issues; deciding what the right thing to do is, 而不是支持任何一方. 我也喜欢这份工作的智力部分, 研究法律,正确运用法律, 公平、平等. I love jury trials because I get to see lawyers at their very best and see how a group of 12 people can unanimously come to a decision on what the facts of the case are.
我做律师已经35年了. 作为助理州检察官, I advocated for the victims of hundreds of violent felonies including murder, 强奸和持械抢劫. 作为刑事辩护律师, I protected the constitutional rights of defendants charged with misdemeanors. I also defended Cook County Hospital and other government-run medical facilities against medical negligence cases, and I’ve been a plaintiff’s lawyer representing injured parties in a variety of tort cases. I’ve worked in private practice and in the government. I appeared before many judges over the course of my career as a lawyer, 在这条线上的某个地方, I decided that being a judge was something that I would be good at too.
With a well-rounded legal background, my transition to the bench went smoothly. I enjoyed the transition from my role as an advocate, to making the correct and final decisions in court. I was initially surprised at how solitary the job was. I no longer celebrate or bemoan the outcome of cases with colleagues. 我只是决定继续下一个案子. 幸运的是, I have a fabulous network of judge friends with whom I can discuss the law with as I’m ethically prohibited from discussing cases with anyone else.
是的. The judiciary is stronger when it is reflective of the people who we serve. It’s important that we have judges from all backgrounds, 否则人们就会对这个系统失去信心.
是的. I think it’s become more accepting of women and minorities, but there is still room for considerable improvement. I am happy to report that I no longer get mistaken for the court clerk, 法庭书记官, 秘书或法律助理. My role as judge is easier to identify as I wear a black robe and I am physically seated on the bench higher than anyone else in the courtroom.
上法学院是个好主意. We always need more good lawyers in our profession. It doesn’t matter what your major is, you have the background for law school. Outstanding grades and LSAT scores are helpful, but not necessarily essential. 你可以做到的!
I’m most proud of helping thousands of abused and neglected children when I sat in the Child Protection Courts. Some of these children had delinquency cases pending too. It was sad but rewarding work when I could change people’s lives for the better. In 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court elevated me to a Circuit Court position. The promotion in the judiciary makes me more influential in deciding who should be appointed to the judiciary and whom our Chief Judge should be.