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Office you seek
District Court Judge, 18th Judicial District - Sizemore Seat

Date of birth
August 29, 1952

Occupation
District Court Judge

Address
Campaign: Post Office Box 10176, Greensboro, NC 27404
Work: Post Office Box 3008, Greensboro, NC 27402

Web site/e-mail address
www.judgesizemore.com

Education
Smith High School, 1970
Appalachian State University, 1973, B. A.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1980, M.Ed. Counseling
Wake Forest University School of Law, 1988, J. D.

Elective experience
None

Professional credentials (specialized training or experience)
Juris Doctorate Degree from Wake Forest University School of Law
Continuing Legal Education during 18 years in private practice
Certified Mediator
Two Weeks New Judges School
Three District Court Judges Conferences
Child Development Seminar for Judges, September of 2007

Family
Parents: J. L. (deceased) and Ethel Sizemore

Why have you chosen to run for this office?
I was appointed to a newly created District Court seat in February of 2007. I am deeply honored to serve as one of the District Court Judges in the 18th Judicial District and want to continue to serve our citizens and the community.

What distinguishes you most from your opponent?
I now have sixteen months of experience as a District Court Judge. The first year is a tremendous learning and growing year. It is a time of developing your judicial philosophy. It is a time of learning new skills such as managing a docket. I have demonstrated that I am capable of serving in this position and rendering fair, timely and legally correct decisions. Also, prior to my appointment, I handled diverse cases in both criminal and civil court that brought me into district and superior court on a weekly basis.

What key qualifications would you bring to the job?
In addition to my juris doctorate degree, my 18 years in private practice, the continuing legal education I received while in private practice, the training as district court judge, I bring to the job the additional key qualifications: my experience as a juvenile court counselor, my master's degree in counseling and my certification as mediator.

Are you qualified to preside in every court or willing to gain the necessary qualifications?
During my first year on the bench, I served in every court in our district except for the newly created Mental Health Court. This included a six-month rotation in juvenile court and I plan on obtaining my juvenile court certification. I am in the midst of a second six-month rotation in civil court. During my sixteen months on the bench, I have presided over hearings regarding traffic, criminal, child custody, child support, alimony, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect of juveniles, mental health commitments and general civil disputes. I have already presided over a jury trial. I have shown that I am very capable of serving in all our district courts.

Where do you see the greatest shortcomings in District Court, and how could they be corrected?
Use of time is the greatest shortcoming. We still have days with dockets with far too many cases, especially in criminal and traffic courts. When you are faced with a large docket, you feel that you cannot always adequately address each case, give each person the time he or she desires and also make sure you reach every case that is ready to be heard. I think the addition of two judges and the creation of an additional court has helped. The reconfiguration of the courthouse will also help. However, we must continue to address the reasons for the large docket and find a way-between judges, district attorneys, clerks, magistrates and law enforcement-to eliminate these large dockets.

Does everyone receive equal justice in District Court, regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender, language, income or legal representation? If not, what measures could help?
Everyone I know in the court system in our district works hard to make sure every person receives equal justice. It does not always happen. There is no question that non-English speaking people and unrepresented people have a greater difficulty in navigating the court system. A trained interpreter for non-English speaking people is a must. We do a good job of this in criminal courts, but it is not as coordinated in civil courts. There is no question that being represented by an able attorney gives a person an advantage in the courtroom- not out of any prejudice or leaning toward the attorney or prejudice against a pro se party but a pro se party often lacks the ability to know how to bring witnesses to court, how to provide pertinent information to the court and how to keep the other side from bringing in non relevant testimony. We are preparing written procedures for our district to adopt regarding handling cases with pro se parties. There is also no question that parties with income can often do things that will assist in obtaining a more favorable sentence or judgment- such as completing expensive counseling or treatment prior to court in criminal cases or having money to subpoena and pay for expert witnesses in civil cases. Sometimes there is a simple advantage is just being more articulate than the opposing party.

To make sure that our courts abide by the guiding principle that "all men are created equal" requires a daily examination. I keep notes to make sure that the fines or sentences imposed are consistent throughout the day. I examine my decisions and rulings daily to make sure the decisions are free of any bias and are based on the facts presented and the relevant law. I work hard to make sure my decisions or rulings are not based on how someone talks, dresses or acts in the courtroom. It is a continual "gut check".

In criminal matters, is enough done to ensure that dangerous offenders aren't released prior to trial with insufficient supervision?

Everyday, District Court Judges make quick decisions as to bond and conditions of pretrial release for numerous defendants. These decisions for the great majority of defendants are sound decisions based on the information available. There are rare cases when the bond, the pretrial supervision or the conditions of pretrial release are insufficient and these are the cases that come to the attention of the public. I think we do a good job in the 18th Judicial District of obtaining as much information as possible regarding the defendant's charge, the defendant's record, the defendant's history of coming to court and the defendant's family and work situation to set appropriate bonds and conditions of pretrial release. We are studying the current "suggested bond amounts" and will update these amounts before the end of the year.

How can the court help steer troubled young people away from gangs or further criminal activity?
Court is the last resort to steer trouble young people away from gangs or further criminal activity. Action must take place at home, then school and the community. Our juvenile court counselors are doing a good job with the young people in juvenile court in addressing these issues. They provide good information to the judge so that we can craft an appropriate and specific disposition for each juvenile. In adult court, there are no court counselors to interview the family and present information to the court. Due to volume of the cases and time constraints, often the only information available to the court is the facts of the current case and the young person's record. Based on the limited information received, judges can order youthful offenders to participate in programs such as alcohol and drug treatment or anger management to hopefully address the problems that brought them to the court.

What are common mistakes judges make, and how can you avoid them?
I cannot speak to common mistakes of all judges. I can only address the things that presented me with the greatest learning curve during my first year on the bench. Time management and docket control differs from court to court in our district. Each court has different issues regarding moving a docket and making sure every one receives the opportunity to be heard while making sure every case is reach. Managing a docket is something that one can learn only by doing it every day and you become better each day. Handling the pressure of a packed courtroom when everyone wants their case heard next, the stress of making important decisions in a short period of time, the vast amount of statutes and case law which we need to know, and the difficulty of presiding over a case in which one person has legal representation and one does not can be overwhelming at times. I have addressed these areas by making myself aware of the things that for me create pressure and acquiring skills to keep the pressure under control. I now run regularly to keep stress at a manageable level. I developed a list of things I inform each pro se person before the start of a trial or hearing. I created notebooks for each court containing relevant statutes, case law and other information needed quickly in the courtroom. Each day I acquire more skills for the courtroom.

How can voters judge your abilities?
Every court is an open court. I invite every person to attend court. There are candidate forums this fall and I encourage everyone to attend. If you know an attorney, ask the attorney about the judges they regularly appear before. Visit my website which will be available July 25, 2008. Invite me to visit your civic group, church, school, boy or girl scout troop.