by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
On Nov. 1, Angela Dixon walked into a courtroom and sat in an unfamiliar place — behind the bench as the Fourth Judicial Circuit’s newest county judge. She says she was a nervous wreck and the first few minutes were quite surreal. Then reality set in and it was time to get to work.
A little more than a month into the job, Dixon says she’s nervous every time she takes the bench, but the butterflies aren’t from trepidation, but rather the sincere desire to do the best job possible and live up to the expectations of herself and those who deemed her worthy of a judgeship.
“I was very nervous, but the staff said I didn’t sound nervous or new, but I was. I was sweating bullets and I still get nervous. I try to remain grounded, humble and on my toes,” said Dixon, who at 33 years old is the youngest judge in consolidated Duval County history. “That’s what they tell me.”
Ironically, it’s a bullet that led Dixon to law in the first place. As a teenager she was with her brother when he was shot in the leg by a stray bullet fired in a gang-related skirmish. Her brother recovered, but a few years later when Dixon was pondering where to attend college, her brother was shot again and this time he died.
“That was my first experience with a prosecutor and a judge,” said Dixon. “I set my sights on law and what it took to move in this direction.”
And she did.
An admittedly angry child, Dixon vowed to change her life. Four months later, she left Detroit for Tennessee State University where she planned to run track. While Dixon did train with the TSU track team her freshman year, she never ran in an official meet. Instead, she found herself pursuing a spot in TSU’s student government.
“I never really liked track, but my grandmother (who raised Dixon and her brother) made me run to keep me off the streets of Detroit,” explained Dixon. “I still run to stay in shape. I’d rather chew glass, but I do it. My goal is to run the River Run.”
Dixon ditched the asphalt and traded it for the campaign trail. At TSU she was elected president of the freshman class. By her senior year, Dixon had become only the second female student body president in school history.
After finishing at TSU, Dixon graduated from the University of Memphis law school and headed to Jacksonville, not knowing a soul and with everything she owned. She quickly landed a job with the State Attorney’s Office under Harry Shorstein, where she spent seven years helping throw bad guys behind bars.
Today, she’s still a lawyer, but she can’t pick a side. She’s the ultimate mediator. It’s a role she quickly adopted and one she relishes.
“It wasn’t tough at all to adjust. As a prosecutor, Mr. Shorstein instilled in me to always do what was right. That’s what I’ve been doing the past seven years,” said Dixon, adding that even after a month the newness and thrill of her job haven’t worn off. “It’s absolutely amazing. It’s everything I always wanted to do.”
Still, there have been adjustments. Dixon has had to learn the civil side of the law, a new arena for her after seven years focusing on the criminal side. She stays late and takes materials home. One thing she can’t take but can tap on a regular basis is the experience of her fellow bench members. County Judge Roberto Arias is her official mentor, but she says all of the judges have offered insight, wisdom and an ear.
Any surprises so far?
“No, it’s not easy to be surprised as a judge because you are the one in charge,” she said. “Everyone has been so pleasant and easy to deal with. You have to pay attention to everything. You can’t lose your focus. The first time I took the bench I looked out and said, ‘Wow.’ It was very surreal and I still feel like I’m dreaming.”
In only 10 years, Dixon has gone from first-year law student to prosecutor to County Judge. And there’s one more big change coming soon. In May, she’ll marry Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer Travis Cox.