by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
Circuit Court Judge Karen Cole may have the final word on a lot of legal decisions, but she’s quick to admit that her own education never ends.
“No one ever learns the law completely,” she said. “Every day I learn something new. When I was in practice, I did only one type of law. As a judge, you do many types of law. You see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.”
Every few years, Cole rotates between several areas of law with the other circuit judges. Since winning her first election in 1994, Cole has worked in dependency, criminal and family divisions, and now focuses on civil.
Education has been a priority in Cole’s personal life, as well. In her free time, she has organized literacy awareness campaigns and legal system training sessions for teachers. Cole said her son’s struggle with dyslexia inspired her to help others learn about the condition and how to overcome it.
“He (my son) went from not being able to read his own name to scoring in the 99 percentile on reading,” said Cole, explaining that proper education and assistance can make a huge impact.
She added that her role as a judge made her realize that the public doesn’t know enough about how the legal system works.
“We need to promote a better understanding by the public,” said Cole. She explained that some people think she makes arbitrary decisions, but the legal world doesn’t work that way.
“The decisions are the product of prior case law. The role of the courts is not to bend to the rule of majority,” said Cole. “You have to apply the facts. There are some times that judges have to make decisions they would rather not make.”
Cole said she enjoys being a judge and getting to examine a variety of cases, but she misses some perks from her previous life as a lawyer.
”I loved being a lawyer – I miss being out of the office,” she said. “I often got to travel to meet with experts and take depositions as a trial lawyer. As a judge, you don’t often leave the courtroom.”
When she’s not in the courtroom, Cole can usually be found researching in her office. She keeps her workspace streamlined and simple for the most part, but a quick sniff reveals an unseen, but curious quality of the room.
“My office tends more toward the functional than the decorative,” said Cole. “(But) I like to have a light fragrance in the room.”
She has a variety of candles and a small stockpile of lotions and perfumes. Cole said her favorite room fragrance varies depending on her mood, but gardenia and green tea top the list.
Some scents can help relieve stress, Cole said, but the candles are mostly for her benefit.
“Typically, I have lawyers (in here),” she said. “They don’t typically need to calm down.”
Cole does enjoy a few unwinding activities. She said theater and reading are favorite pastimes. In fact, Cole said she once held a strong interest in being a creative writer.
“I enjoy writing, although I do have this concern that I’ve long ago ceased being able to write fiction,” said Cole, explaining that she spends a lot of time typing her decidedly nonfiction court opinions. “It’s rare that a person can do both.”
Fictional court TV shows and movies aren’t Cole’s favorite genre, however. She said a lot of the scenes depicted on the screen should simply never happen in real life.
“On TV, they come and they lean up here,” said Cole, resting her arm on a jury box. “You have to do it (address the jury) from the podium.”
The same principle applies to approaching the witness in Cole’s courtroom. She added that attorneys can ask permission to come near a witness, but they can’t pace around and keep talking. The attorney only has a few moments to hand the witness some evidence, for example, before beating a fast path back to the podium.
And when it comes to TV judges with their own shows, like Judge Judy, Cole just shakes her head.
“If judges in real life acted the way judges on TV act, the qualifying commission would pay them a visit.”