Best\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and her lifelong belief in public service made her right for the job, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not the desire to wear a robe, necessarily, but it was a desire to do the right thing and serve, and that\u2019s pretty much what\u2019s motivated me in general in terms of career decisions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Best said she believes her challenges as a woman in a male-dominated profession are the same ones she shares with all women. She said women are required to do better to be equal.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had experiences, especially as a young lawyer, where I would say something or make some argument which is immediately dispensed with as unimportant or lacking merit, and a male would advance the same argument either moments later or the next day and it\u2019s seen as some sort of a revelation,\u201d Best said.<\/p>\n
Even now, Best said some people see her as \u201cJudge Soft Touch\u201d while others think she\u2019s \u201cJudge Cranky,\u201d but she strives above all to be efficient and keep cases moving forward. Because both sides are under enormous strain, Best said a judge doesn\u2019t do anyone any favors by delaying.<\/p>\n\n
Being a judge is definitely not a 9-to-5 gig. Best said she\u2019s at the office by 6 a.m. every day and works after hours every night in addition to being on call 24\/7 to sign warrants for law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless I\u2019m on the bench, I never refuse a call,\u201d Best said. \u201cI view my job as making sure that they don\u2019t have to wait because I know that they\u2019re out there trying to get their job done. And that\u2019s something that we all signed up for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Best presides over adult and juvenile criminal cases, civil cases, youth in need of care, marriage dissolutions, parenting plans, initial appearances, fitness hearings, orders of protection, plus civil and criminal trials.<\/p>\n
She also runs Veterans Treatment Court, where she\u2019s made changes to provide for post-graduation relapse prevention and oversees a program run by veteran alumni to provide support for each other and current participants.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has been really gratifying in many ways,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re working very hard to make sure our veterans know that we\u2019re there for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The things Best would change about her job were both large and small.<\/p>\n
She said the courthouse could use another courtroom, and court staff should be paid more. She\u2019d like to see if the old jail can be revamped for use, whether it\u2019s through renting out the space or using it for a courtroom and county offices.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just such a beautiful building,\u201d she said. \u201cIt would be pretty striking to have that as a modern office building on the inside \u2026 it\u2019s a shame to let it just sit there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n
On the other end of the spectrum, Best said the courtroom chairs, especially in the jury boxes, could be upgraded. She said she\u2019s concerned about an aging population having to sit in those seats and get in and out safely.<\/p>\n
Best said she loves interacting with people and feeling like she makes a difference, large or small. Although she said being a judge is the best job she\u2019s ever had, there is some serious struggle that goes with it.<\/p>\n\n
When she comes out of the courtroom on a difficult case, Best said she sometimes wonders if she made the right calls. She said it keeps her up nights at times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s real easy from the bleachers, I think, to say, \u2018This is what the call should\u2019ve been,\u2019 but there\u2019s a lot of real lives involved in every single decision,\u201d Best said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s still a human being trying to make hard decisions for other human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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