10/29/2006

Justice Court Department One

As GeeGuy pointed out, the Cascade County Justice Court needs help getting on track in both departments. Judge Harris (Department Two) has put himself in the news, and gone farther out on a limb with many of the things he had done publicly. My limited exposure to Judge Jensen left no strong impression one way or the other. However, most attorneys practicing in the court view Judge Jensen as much the same as Harris, at least in terms of sentences, bonds, etc, which all appear to follow Judge Harris' lead.

Since I do not have much first hand knowledge of Judge Jensen, and have not heard much about how she handles her courtroom, I would like input from those who do know. For example, disrespect toward litigants and attorneys is a big issue with Judge Harris. I would like to hear comments about what experience readers have had with her.

I also feel that we have a good alternative to Judge Harris with Steven Fagenstrom to replace him. That does not seem so clear in Department One. Mr. Fisher seems to have questionable motives, background, and qualifications. If we vote out Judge Jensen, what will we get? Again, I would encourage comments from anyone who knows.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think you can paint JP Jensen with the same brush as Harris.In my experience, she is generally more thoughtful, more conscientious about process, more reasonable. She does have to live in the same small space as Harris. She could probably tell some stories, but she is more professional than that.

Anonymous said...

I am amazed that you would even consider painting Judge Jensen with the same brush as Sam Harris. One need only to walk by their two offices to see that they are completely different people. Their personalities are not similar in the least. Judge Jensen, has a great deal of patience for litigants and attorneys. She is genuinely concerned about problems that litigants might have, especially the mentally ill. She has even attempted to find out what might be done in their behalf in order to keep they from being recycled through the legal system. And the amount of tolerance that she shows for others, no matter how cruel, is amazing.

Anonymous said...

Judge Jensen is the type of person you want on the bench. She is patient and even tempered. Some judges in the state have a combative, belittling, or condescending style (regardless of the level of the court). She does not behave like that.

When you talk with her you realize she genuinely believes in the system and doesn't pay lip service to the principles that are central to our country.

Her demeanor and presence has an overall calming influence upon the people in her courtroom.

Anonymous said...

As someone who knows Mr. Fisher on a personal level, I do not believe he is qualified for the position of Justice of the Peace. I believe Mr. Fisher's morals are on the same level of Judge Harris. However, I have also witnessed Judge Jensen's use of vulgarity while in a professional setting. Therefore, I feel it is a matter of picking the lesser of two evils. I would rather retain Judge Jensen than take the risk of having Mr. Fisher in a position of power. Ms. Jensen, please clean up the vulgar language in your office!