One in a series on local judges
by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
‘You don’t really ever know a woman until you meet her in court.’
Jean Johnson grinned as she pointed to the baseball cap with that slogan emblazoned on the front.
“I wore that hat at my investiture,” she said.
For those who don’t know Johnson, it has been 10 years since her successful campaign for Duval County judge. In the decade since, she’s ridden the wave of her own hard work and success — she ran a successful campaign for circuit judge in 1996 — and also endured the ego-bruising distinction of bringing-up-the-rear in judicial ratings rendered by the local legal community. But if a little adversity was enough to slow Johnson down, she would have never reached the pinnacle of the legal profession.
Career prospects for young a woman of the Vietnam era were narrowly focused. A Florida Gator by education, and by fanatical attachment to the football team, Johnson earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and history from the University of Florida.
Because history degrees generally pay very little, she put her political science training to work in a series of government jobs over the next decade. She started as a legislative analyst for the Senate and House of Representatives in 1970, security fraud investigator the Department of Banking and Financing in 1976, and chief of planning for the City in 1980.
By the early 1980s, she wanted something different. Her husband, Greg, was running a successful law firm at the time. Perhaps the rush of trial work would prove to be the magic elixir for Johnson. She returned to her alma mater in pursuit of a juris doctorate and unknowingly wandered into the fraternity of white male traditionalism.
“The dean [of the UF law school] didn’t believe women should go to law school,” said Johnson. “Women should get married and have children.”
It was no consolation to the dean the she had three children with Greg already. Interestingly, her older daughter, Alise, is now a lawyer and Rebecca is a microbiologist. Greg Jr. is working his own way through college to be a lawyer. But attitudes in the early 1980s were different. As a statistical clarification from the U.S. Department of Labor, 18.2 percent of lawyers were women in 1985 compared to 7.1 percent in 1975 and 28.8 percent in 1999. Law is not a female-oriented profession, traditionally. The dean made his position clear by calling in a librarian.
“‘Virginia, tell her what the opportunities are for women in law,’” quoted Johnson. “Virginia didn’t say a word. She just turned and walked back out.”
Eighty-seven percent of librarians were women in 1985.
Johnson was vexed but undaunted. With a little cheerleading from her husband, who promised to hold an open spot for her at his firm when she graduated, she pressed forward. She was accepted to UF’s law school and every day for three-and-a-half years, she made the 70-mile commute to campus. So why swim so hard upstream for a career change?
“I wanted the opportunity to help people at a crisis time in their lives,” she offered. “I knew I would be joining my husband’s firm [Rumrell & Johnson] in personal injury trial work. I would be helping people who had crisis in their lives.”
Johnson walked away from UF with her law degree in 1985 and, as promised, slid right into her waiting spot at Rumrell & Johnson. Her first years as a lawyer proved invaluable as she traveled around the state to represent clients.
“It made me appreciate our circuit and the quality of our judges and the management,” she said. “We are so much more organized here.”
Throughout her life, she has been somewhat of an activist, daring to ruffle the feathers of the status quo, starting with her college days. Her picture hangs in the university’s hall of fame next to one of Gainesville’s immortals, Steve Spurrier.
“I was one of the first secretaries of women’s affairs for the university,” explained Johnson. “I was very active in student government and fought very hard to compete with men in academic inequities.”
During her first years as a county judge, Johnson set up a task force to explore the possibility of implementing a mediation process for county court. At the time, it couldn’t have been the best political move because judges were under scrutiny by the media for slacking off during working hours. The last thing county judges needed was the perception they were sloughing off duties. Nevertheless, there was money available for the program and Johnson saw to it that litigants would have a cheaper alternative to the courtroom.
“It was a wonderful gift for people,” she said. “Everyone has a small claim. The laundry ruined a shirt or the neighbor kicked their dog or whatever. It was good a good deal for them and also gave lawyers an opportunity to donate their time as mediators.”
Life is not all law for Johnson and Johnson. The couple are avid sailors with two boats in the family, “Southern Spirit” and “Litigator.” Like anyone with a time consuming hobby, Johnson’s New Year’s resolution is to sail more. She and her husband are currently building a house on the water in Mandarin. For a moment, she got a little zealous with her sailing resolution.
“To me, it would be just great to sail to and from work. When it rains, I’ll just wear a slicker,” she mused. Then reality set in. Tides, currents, wind and other factors could make the 25-mile riverine commute a bit lengthy. “Well, maybe just on Friday afternoons,” she amended.
Casual commutes on Friday could help after a tumultuous day on the bench sorting out the details and minutia of law while the fate of defendants hangs in the balance. Since moving to the circuit bench six years ago, she has divided her duties equally among felony, family and civil cases.
The murders, rapes, divorces and custody battles, however detached she tries to be, still add up.
“You can’t be personally involved in any case you have,” she said. “You can be passionate about your job and how you approach it, but you have to disassociate yourself from the situation somewhat. One of the worst cases I had was a sexual assault on a six-year-old girl. It was a very demanding trial. The attorney I had appointed to prosecute at one point thought about folding up his papers and calling it quits — never to practice law anymore. You have to disassociate yourself.”
As for the future, Johnson plans to wear the robe until retirement, which she says is years in the future.
“I’m not one of these people who plans every next move,” said said. “I’m very happy as a trial judge. I get wonderful support from the courthouse staff. I have wonderful bailiffs, judicial assistants and clerks. They make my job so much more enjoyable. They don’t get enough recognition for it.”