Does it matter if a family court judge has no family?

I agree. I think this is a valid point for any judge. Especially on the highest court.

For those who may not know, Tina Parker and Chad Coker have no children. Just so you know.

I also think it is important, but not all important. I think other factors have to come into play, mostly character issues.

Jug makes a bit deal about the problems in Lauderdale and boy do we have them. The family court judge got elected here because he was better at gladhanding than the Christian judge we had. This new judge promised to save marriages.

Well, he since divorced his wife, his kids don't speak to him and he gave a married (then) woman a job that he created. I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one. When it all came to light he went before his church and apologized and stated he wouldn't run again. Guess what?

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges.

quote:

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges

And I suppose being a "christian" makes one a better judge? WHY do so many want to bring religion into the courts and government yet the same ones scream so loudly when the same courts and government intervene into religious ground?
Should we not keep religion and courts/government seperate? I don't understand.

I think what's more important is how someone treats the family they have. I don't think the number of children you've been blessed with should play a factor in how you comprehend the law. There are parents in this world that don't deserve to be parents because of the way they treat their children. There are also people who would obviously make wonderful parents but are still waiting on their miracles to arrive. And of course there are people who are unable to have children all together, or choose not to for that matter, but are still able to be excellent role models to the young people in their lives. Family, in the sense of the court, has more to do with compassion and understanding than genetics. I think this post was just another attempt to discredit candidates, in this case, candidates that do not have children. It doesn't take a judge to be a parent, and it doesn't take a parent to be a judge.

While having experience raising children is a very important factor when choosing a judge to preside and make rulings over family issues it is certainly not the only factor. A judge presiding over a family court must go outside written laws from time to time and make choices about what they feel is best for a child which is an area that there are no clear cut written laws on. How can someone without experience in a parental role make such a decision? At the same time if I had a choice between a parent with questionable character and/or wisdom and a candidate with no children that exhibits decent morals and common sense then I would go with the non-parent.

Tim Milam is the first one to raise this issue. So we know he has sperm.

Well said, Teena. My thoughts exactly... I'm glad that you found a way to express them (for me) so eloquently. Maybe you should run for Judge.

quote:

Originally posted by Teena Applegate:
I think what's more important is how someone treats the family they have. I don't think the number of children you've been blessed with should play a factor in how you comprehend the law. There are parents in this world that don't deserve to be parents because of the way they treat their children. There are also people who would obviously make wonderful parents but are still waiting on their miracles to arrive. And of course there are people who are unable to have children all together, or choose not to for that matter, but are still able to be excellent role models to the young people in their lives. Family, in the sense of the court, has more to do with compassion and understanding than genetics. I think this post was just another attempt to discredit candidates, in this case, candidates that do not have children. It doesn't take a judge to be a parent, and it doesn't take a parent to be a judge.

Perhaps if Chad Coker was a parent, he wouldn't have taken Taft Miles' case.

I do not plan to vote for Chad Coker, but I think the Taft Miles horse has already been beaten,

quote:

Originally posted by paw-paw:

quote:

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges

And I suppose being a "christian" makes one a better judge? WHY do so many want to bring religion into the courts and government yet the same ones scream so loudly when the same courts and government intervene into religious ground?
Should we not keep religion and courts/government seperate? I don't understand.

Take a look at our country and government. Do you think it's a good time to kick God out?

God was kicked out a long time ago and look what it has gotten us. All the libs want to blame soda in schools for making kids fat, but kids have gotten progressively fatter since God was kicked out of schools. I don't believe either has anything to do with fat kids. Blame the parents for raising kids who'd rather be inside under the air conditioner, eating and playing computer games all day.
How's that for high-jacking a thread?
My point is this; ever since this country has chosen to turn a deaf ear to God, things have progressively gotten worse. Whether you're a Christian or not, you cannot deny this fact.

quote:

Originally posted by paw-paw:

quote:

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges

And I suppose being a "christian" makes one a better judge? WHY do so many want to bring religion into the courts and government yet the same ones scream so loudly when the same courts and government intervene into religious ground?
Should we not keep religion and courts/government seperate? I don't understand.

Yes, we should Paw-Paw!

quote:

Originally posted by paw-paw:

quote:

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges

And I suppose being a "christian" makes one a better judge? WHY do so many want to bring religion into the courts and government yet the same ones scream so loudly when the same courts and government intervene into religious ground?
Should we not keep religion and courts/government seperate? I don't understand.

Just leaving any "Christian beliefs" out of it, Judge Smith never left his wife for another woman and his kids still speak to him as far as I know and he never gave some gf a cush job with my money. So even if he was an athiest, he's a much better man in those depts.

Now back to subject.

quote:

Originally posted by deshlertigermom:
It is my understanding that the district court in Colbert County handles a lot of cases involving children. Two of the candidates do not have children.

I remember how much my life changed when I had children. My entire perspective and outlook changed, my priorities shifted, and I viewed the decisions that other people made in regards to their families differently.

I hope that the two candidates without children are blessed with them one day. However, until that time, I don't think that they have the life experience to be the judge in a family court. The family court judge needs to be someone who truly can place themselves in the shoes of the families in that courtroom before making a decision.

I THINK IT IS A PLUS FOR A GOOD JUDGE TO HAVE CHILDREN,,,IF I WENT TO COURT WITH MY CHILD I WOULD WANT TO KNOW I HAD A JUDGE WITH THAT EXTRA EXPERIENCE OF BEING A FATHER,,,RAISING CHILDREN DEFINATELY GIVES YOU THAT EXTRA EXPERIENCE,,,THAT IS ONE IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION IN MY OPINION,,,

quote:

Originally posted by paw-paw:

quote:

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges

And I suppose being a "christian" makes one a better judge? WHY do so many want to bring religion into the courts and government yet the same ones scream so loudly when the same courts and government intervene into religious ground?
Should we not keep religion and courts/government seperate? I don't understand.

TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU,,,A TRUE CHRISTIAN WILL ALWAYS MAKE A BETTER JUDGE NO MATTER WHAT,,,ENOUGH SAID,,,WE NEED MORE JUDGES WITH GOOD MORALS WE CAN TRUST!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Tomme73:
God was kicked out a long time ago and look what it has gotten us. All the libs want to blame soda in schools for making kids fat, but kids have gotten progressively fatter since God was kicked out of schools. I don't believe either has anything to do with fat kids. Blame the parents for raising kids who'd rather be inside under the air conditioner, eating and playing computer games all day. SOOOOOOOOO TRUE!!!
How's that for high-jacking a thread?
My point is this; ever since this country has chosen to turn a deaf ear to God, things have progressively gotten worse. Whether you're a Christian or not, you cannot deny this fact.

Take a look at our country and government. Do you think it's a good time to kick God out?
I never said kick God out of anything. It's just the one-sided thinking of some people.
They don't want the government to have anything to do with any religion (as it should be)
But, at the same time, they want to infuse religion into public office. The constitution directs seperation of church and state. It MUST go both ways,

We all have a sin nature and its hard enough as as a Christian to not get caught up in worldly things, situations, and even dishonesty...
I can't fatham how any non-christian Judge would rule on a case that they have no conviction from God (that only a Christian has) when they are doing something they shouldn't or ruling based on the Buddy system not the Law. only my personal opinion(as a christian) and I think God should be a factor in all Politics and I want to know who is and is not a Christian, before I vote for any Democrat or Republican!

quote:

Originally posted by Trutooit-II:

Well, he since divorced his wife, his kids don't speak to him and he gave a married (then) woman a job that he created. I'll let you fill in the blanks on that one. When it all came to light he went before his church and apologized and stated he wouldn't run again. Guess what?

So being married and having kids don't always make the best judges.

Trutooit-II, are you just lying or are you sadly misinformed. The former family court judge rarely conducted his court exhibiting Christian beliefs and was a disgrace to the Judiciary - that is why he was defeated.
The current family court judge has a very good relationship with both of his children. I have spoken with both of them this week, both in the good company of their very fine father.

bubba, I know you didn't like Judge Smith and I don't like Sandlin. I took my info from what I've been told and read on the Courhouse forum. Any voter in any election should read the courthouse forum for a real eyeful.

If Sandlin and his kids have made up, great I suppose. He's still divorced, and Judge Smith is still married to his one and only wife. Who's the winner?

Is Parker the only one that is divorced in the Judges race? I know Chad is married, and Tim. But wasnt sure about Johnson or the others

as a matter a fact, i dont hear that much about Nathan Johnson. Anyone know much about him?

In answer to both of your posts, Ang, the only candidate in this race who is not married in Tina Parker, though, as you say, she has been divorced.

Milam, Ruggles, and Johnson are the only ones with children.

justjane has written a good bio for each of the candidates over on this thread.

thanks john. appreciate that

I am just stunned that the people in this area really feel that you should be a parent in order to have the experience required to do this job. Again, this is an arguable issue that establishes that anyone in the future can go forth into this courtroom and defend themselves by saying, well you can't rule effectively, you don't know what it's like to be black, or handicapped, or Atheist, or __________. Isn't it more important to us as a region of people that we should want the best person to do the best they can not to be limited by emotion or personal experience or whatever else is the identifying reason. But that we elect an IMPARTIAL judge that relies on the law as we have agreed to abide by to reason through cases and come to a judgement that is based on FACT and LAWS. If you want your candidate to be responsible for a job that is based on their parenting qualifications then encourage those people to participate in CASA and roles in the court that would enable them to really pull from their experience as parents to provide guidance to children who don't have a mother or father to provide that to them. Our Judge doesn't need to be someone that will rely on their heartstrings being pulled when ruling. They need to be fair and impartial and respect our laws so that our families get the rulings that are written to provide such. That is the responsibility of the judge. If you don't like the way that the job is written then maybe your candidate would be better campaigning in a political arena that allows them to change those laws so that emotional reasoning is a viable way to judge someone. I guarantee you that child abusers and pedophiles won't need representation because we can make it real easy for them to never plague society again.

quote:

Originally posted by ferrellj:
Take a look at our country and government. Do you think it's a good time to kick God out?

That has got to be one of the most ridiculous statements ever. No human being can keep God out of anything or keep God from anyone else.

quote:

Originally posted by logical:

quote:

Originally posted by ferrellj:
Take a look at our country and government. Do you think it's a good time to kick God out?

That has got to be one of the most ridiculous statements ever. No human being can keep God out of anything or keep God from anyone else.

I agree totally with you. ferrellj and a lot of others on these forums are misguided Christian Nationists who, if they had their way, would allow government (in which which most of them place little trust or confidence)to permit government agents (e.g. public school officialdom) to tell their children when to pray, what to pray about, where to pray, and who or what to pray to. Go figure.

quote:

Originally posted by gspeaks:

quote:

Originally posted by Tomme73:
God was kicked out a long time ago and look what it has gotten us. All the libs want to blame soda in schools for making kids fat, but kids have gotten progressively fatter since God was kicked out of schools. I don't believe either has anything to do with fat kids. Blame the parents for raising kids who'd rather be inside under the air conditioner, eating and playing computer games all day. SOOOOOOOOO TRUE!!!
How's that for high-jacking a thread?
My point is this; ever since this country has chosen to turn a deaf ear to God, things have progressively gotten worse. Whether you're a Christian or not, you cannot deny this fact.

no you can't deny that fact or the fact that we would be better off with a christian judge,,as I have said before,,putting God first would sure make a great qualificatin for a court judge,,,having said this my vote will definately be with Mr.Milam,,seems to be the most Qualified,,,

This just in!!!New candidates for Colbert County District judge have entered the race! They are as follows


Andrea Yates-Mother of five

Scott Peterson-Expecting the birth of a son

Susan Smith-Mother of two beautiful boys

So lets all give a big hand to these loving parents who will have the knowledge and wisdom to lead Colbert County into the future.

quote:

Originally posted by nhiswill:
We all have a sin nature and its hard enough as as a Christian to not get caught up in worldly things, situations, and even dishonesty...
I can't fatham how any non-christian Judge would rule on a case that they have no conviction from God (that only a Christian has) when they are doing something they shouldn't or ruling based on the Buddy system not the Law. only my personal opinion(as a christian) and I think God should be a factor in all Politics and I want to know who is and is not a Christian, before I vote for any Democrat or Republican!

couldn't have put it any better myself,,,my vote would be with a christian,,,

quote:

Originally posted by rexkwondo72:
This just in!!!New candidates for Colbert County District judge have entered the race! They are as follows


Andrea Yates-Mother of five

Scott Peterson-Expecting the birth of a son

Susan Smith-Mother of two beautiful boys

So lets all give a big hand to these loving parents who will have the knowledge and wisdom to lead Colbert County into the future.

I think we all know that is not the case with the canidates we have before us the parents you refer to above could not be true christians or in my eyes not even real parents quite obviously,,,all the canidates running for this position seem to be good people some are just better qualified,,,and in my oppinion being a parent and christian are top qualifications,,

Apparently they are more qualified than Coker and Parker because they were parents.

quote:

Originally posted by rexkwondo72:
This just in!!!New candidates for Colbert County District judge have entered the race! They are as follows


Andrea Yates-Mother of five

Scott Peterson-Expecting the birth of a son

Susan Smith-Mother of two beautiful boys

So lets all give a big hand to these loving parents who will have the knowledge and wisdom to lead Colbert County into the future.

Best laugh I've had all day. I will say I had sympathy for Andrea Yates. I believe she had a true mental illness. The other two--world would be better off without them.

Being a parent is sometimes just being an egg or sperm donor. I'm not saying that's the case here with these three who have children, but I would put that at the bottom of the list, if on the list at all.

There are two that I would never vote for, for reasons stated here by others. I would automatically narrow the field to Johnson, Coker and Parker.

quote:

Originally posted by gspeaks:
no you can't deny that fact or the fact that we would be better off with a christian judge,,as I have said before,,putting God first would sure make a great qualificatin for a court judge,,,having said this my vote will definately be with Mr.Milam,,seems to be the most Qualified,,,

Such a qualification would be a direct violation of our constitution.

quote:

U.S. Constitution, Article VI:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Hi all,

I have not read all the posts on this discussion; but, from the title one thing pops to mind immediately: Roman Catholic priests council married couples and soon to be married couples on marriage -- and none of the priest have ever been married.

Okay, maybe except for those who became priest later in life after their wife died -- but, that number is minute.

So, if a priest who has taken, and we assume lived up to, a vow of celibacy, can council couples on married life -- why can't a judge who has not been married be a family court judge?

I don' really see any difference.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill

Great point!

You certainly don't have to be a parent to be a good judge. But Being a parent should make you a better judge. Especially since the district court judge handles a large number of child support, custody, and other juvenile and family court cases.

If the district court judge is going to make decisions affecting families, then it helps if they also have the experience of being a parent.

quote:

Originally posted by John1979:
You certainly don't have to be a parent to be a good judge. But Being a parent should make you a better judge. Especially since the district court judge handles a large number of child support, custody, and other juvenile and family court cases.

If the district court judge is going to make decisions affecting families, then it helps if they also have the experience of being a parent.

This was the point I made when when the Shoalanda/BS gang was publicly assaulting Milam.