08/08/2026
WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING POSITIVE TO SAY ABOUT YOURSELF, YOU’RE LEFT WITH TAKING THE LOW ROAD! 
I had hoped that for a position as important in our community as the judge, one would take the high road. For when you step off the curb and wallow with the hogs, you get dirty, and the hogs love it.
My opponent in the race for Dubois County Circuit Court Judge has certainly made every effort to run my name, and the extremely nuanced decisions that I make each day, through the mud. I find what he has been posting reprehensible.
Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct prevents a sitting judge from commenting publicly on why he ruled a certain way in any case. An independent judiciary requires that judges decide cases according to the law and facts, without regard to whether particular laws or litigants are popular or unpopular with the public, the media, government officials, or the judge's friends or family.
For every press release that is bought and paid for by supporters of my opponent, there is another side of the story that I cannot tell— there is a victim that was protected from having to go to trial, an individual with serious mental illness that would have deteriorated in jail or prison, or a child who wasn’t required to re-live the details of some of the worst memories of their lives.
Ultimately, confidence in the judiciary is eroded if judicial decision making is perceived to be subject to inappropriate outside influences, and I will NEVER compromise that part of my oath.
It is easy to CHERRY PICK FACTS. Especially, when certain important facts are CONFIDENTIAL and not accessible to the public. Every case has two sides to the story. I have been subject to much of this very same thing for several years. I have NOT and will NEVER be a rubber stamp for any other office or person.
Indiana Code of Judicial Conduct also prevents a candidate from making promises about cases that may come before them. "Rule 4.1.(A)(13). A judge is in connection with cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pledges, promises, or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of judicial office.
The Preamble to the Code of Judicial Conduct: [1] An independent, fair and impartial judiciary indispensable to our system of justice. The United States legal system is based upon the principle that an independent, impartial, and competent judiciary, composed of men and women of integrity, will interpret and apply the law that governs our society. Thus, the judiciary plays a central role in preserving the principles of justice and the rule of law. Inherent in all the Rules contained in this Code are the precepts that judges, individually and collectively, must respect and honor the judicial office as a public trust and strive to maintain and enhance confidence in the legal system.
[2] Judges should maintain the dignity of judicial office at all times, and avoid both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in their professional and personal lives. They should aspire at all times to conduct that ensures the greatest possible public confidence in their independence, impartiality, integrity, and competence."
I have taken this preamble to heart. I have worked so very hard to uphold the integrity of this position. Have I always got it right, no I'm human. But, I have worked hard every day to ensure that our community, especially victims, are as safe as possible, absolutely.
** feel free to share my post!
