DATELINE MT. STERLING--BROWN COUNTY CIRCUIT JUDGE LOCAL ELECTION: JUDICIAL TEXAS HOLD 'EM

Circuit Judge David Slocum will retire at the end of this year. He is a treasure in more ways than we can cover here. He is that rare judge who starts his career pretty good and continues to improve. He will be missed.

BUT, that's not what this column is about. It's about the race to succeed him. The election is in November of '08.

One assumes Associate Judge Lagoski will run for the Resident Circuit Judge position being vacated by Judge Slocum. She will be a formidable Democrat candidate in many ways. She also has nothing to lose by running and every reason to throw her hat into the old ring. Whether any democrats will oppose her in the primary, I don't know but I'd guess it's unlikely.

It just so happens that the other race up at that same time is for State's Attorney. That office is occupied by a talented, presentable and ambitious young man named Jerry Hooker. Almost without doubt, he could be easily re-elected. He understandably craves a judicial post. To run for the Judgeship, he must abandon his secure elected position. Under any circumstances, it looks like a tough decision from here. Lawyers tend to be risk-averse creatures. Much of what we do is helping others avoid or minimize risks. It would have seemed out of character for Hooker to give up the security of the SAO for a tough run at a judgeship.

But, he went, "all in". This week he announced he'll seek the judgeship. If he loses, he ends up with an empty bucket. If he wins, then he was rewarded for a ballsy call.

Lost in all this is the State's Attorney's Office of Brown County. From 1980 to the present, the People of Brown County have been well represented in court. I hope that continues. Even though it's a very small county, it is in meth country and there is a prison there. Effective prosecution impacts the quality of peoples' lives.

There are some more layers to this, but I must soldier on in court. Perhaps more later.