This is an opinion column

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Today’s guest columnist is Judge Jim Hughey III.

Billboard of hope

Juror number six wore sleeveless shirts to Court each day.

On her shoulder was a large, life-like tattoo of a young man’s face.

After the trial was over, I asked whose face was on her arm.

“It’s my son who took his own life,” she said. “This image is my ministry in his honor.

“Wherever I go it opens doors for me to talk with people about the dangers of depression and guide them to help, if needed.”

Having myself experienced the loss of a loved one to depression, I was stunned by the strength and grace with which this unsung member of our community had channeled her unimaginable grief into elegant action; turning her body into a billboard of hope.

Don’t waste a second chance

The defendant was a high-school-aged young man.

Due to inattention, he had run his car into a parked vehicle whose owner was standing nearby.  No one was physically hurt and the damaged car was ultimately paid for, but a money-damages claim for the bystander’s emotional distress remained pending for trial.

The Jury ruled in favor of the defendant.

And then the Foreman asked if he could speak on behalf of the group. It was an unusual request, but I agreed.

“Young man,” he said to the defendant, “we gave you a second chance today. Don’t waste it and don’t ever, ever drive your car without giving the road your full attention.”

“Yes, sir,” the young man said, with tears welling in his eyes, “I promise.”

To this day I wonder if those tears were purely from relief or also in amazement that twelve strangers in his community cared enough to give him that message.

Thoughtful & selfless act

The tragic traffic death occurred on I-459 one morning when a pickup truck crossed the center line and collided with a sedan.

The decedent in the sedan was on her way to work.

Left behind were a husband and a young son.

The man and boy were in my Courtroom for approval of a settlement that would distribute several sizeable life insurance policies their wife/mother had taken out on herself. Her thoughtful and selfless act had reached out and embraced her loved ones with financial stability after she was gone.

When I arrived home that night and saw my own wife standing safe in our kitchen, I suddenly found myself in tears and hugging her tight.  “What happened to you?” she asked.   When I caught my breath, I answered, “I was brushed by the wings of an angel today and didn’t see it coming.”

I had a window into lives of amazing citizens

I loved many things about my time on the Bench but, as you can see from the encounters above, what I loved most was the privileged window my position gave me into the lives of my amazing fellow citizens.

As a sitting judge I handed cases covering every conceivable human failure and problem.

Abundant examples of pride, greed, dishonesty, envy, wrath, and sloth came through my Court.

But so did countless instances of humility, charity, truth, kindness, forgiveness, and selfless hard work.

I saw people at their worst, but also at their best.

After handling thousands of cases over my twelve years of service, I became firmly convinced that all personality traits (the good ones, the bad ones, and the ugly ones) are evenly distributed among the many branches of the human family tree.

My favorite task as a judge was overseeing jury trials.

It always floored me to watch twelve random citizens slowly gel into a cohesive group working diligently and honestly to solve an important dispute.

My amazement at the process was compounded by the fact that Jefferson County is one of the most diverse communities in the nation.

Our Jurors arrived at the Courthouse with differing perspectives and views on almost every aspect of life, but when sworn into service, presented with all of the available facts on a situation, and given an unlimited amount of time to sift through those facts and discuss them, they invariably made good decisions.

In “real life,” of course, we rarely have all of the available facts on any situation and we never have unlimited time to sift through them.   And, sadly, few of us would care to have any kind of discussions these days with those whose views differ from our own.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  In our jury rooms it still isn’t that way.

A sincere hope

Which is why I so sincerely hope that the open-minded and open-hearted spirit I saw animate juries can spread out of the Courthouse and into everyday life, giving all of us the strength and courage we need to speak to each other, hear each other, and see each other as we walk together on the path of life.

I can promise you from my own experience; if you take to the time to look, it won’t take long to find your own examples of flesh and blood angels living among us, and walking beside us, here in Jefferson County.

Jim Hughey III is a retired Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge.  He now helps parties resolve their disputes out of court at SchreiberADR.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown.  He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. [email protected]