from staff
Dan Wilensky has wanted to be a family court judge for years. In November, that dream became reality when he was elected to the Fourth Judicial Circuit and assigned to Clay County.
Wilensky admitted he was nervous the first day on the bench. However, those feelings were quickly replaced.
“I was enjoying being a judge for the first three hours, then I had to go to the emergency room because of a detached retina,” said Wilensky, who was sworn in by Chief Judge Don Moran in front of about 200 family members, friends and judges from the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Wilensky, who had a 30-year career in private practice, has since settled into the job and said he’s “absolutely” enjoying it.
“It’s been overwhelming, but there are wonderful people helping me,” he said.
Moran said Wilensky is “well-known by all the judges in the circuit and he will be a real asset.”
The ceremony had its lighter moments:
• Moran recognized several people in the audience, including City Council member Pat Lockett-Felder. “I see her now because you can’t miss her hair,” said Moran.
• Circuit Judge Fred Tygart presented Wilensky with a nameplate for his desk and said, “This is also ergonomically designed to keep unruly litigators and cheeky lawyers in line.”
• Senior Judge James Harrison spoke for several minutes, adding this joke near the end of his speech: “You may notice a defect in Dan’s robe. It’s not a defect, it’s a wrinkle. We don’t suspect he will sleep in it for very long.”
• Longtime friend and attorney Randall Jay Silverberg spoke at length about his friendship with Wilensky and noted that, after Wilensky returned from the University of South Florida, he resembled a certain male model: “When he came back from USF, he was dating the reigning Miss Universe and he was 6-foot-4, weighed 180 pounds and had long blond hair. He was Fabio.”