What inspired you to run?
I originally aspired to be an appellate court judge, and while that may still be in the cards someday, I was inspired to run for a trial court seat after having the opportunity to hear cases as a juvenile referee, and after a conversation with a former judge.
A few years ago, I was at the National Judicial College with about 30 other prospective judges. We’d just gone through an intensive exercise where we had to practice dealing with difficult litigants and attorneys. A former judge (and trainer) came up to me afterward and asked why I was so laser-focused on becoming an appellate judge. She said, “You’ve got what it takes. You belong on a trial court. Don’t you know that people will listen to you?” And while she hadn’t been the first person to encourage me to be a trial court judge, it was the first time someone said this to me after I’d had to opportunity to work behind the bench as a judicial attorney and hear cases as juvenile referee.
Having had the opportunity to serve behind the bench, I learned that my existence made a difference for people who saw or experienced the justice system as unyielding and broken. In a negligence case, a runaway teen in foster called my line directly when he felt unsafe and needed help. Because he was willing to reach out to me, we were able to get him off the streets and into a safe placement. When a mother did not appear at her child’s hearing because she had to work, I had an advocate call her, and offered her the opportunity to participate virtually. Because of that, she was able to take her child home that day. Where the state wanted to terminate support for a teen who was aging out of the foster system, I found the legal basis for requiring the state to continue care, allowing him to finish his senior year of high school and maintain placement and care with existing treatment providers while being transitioned to other services.
Knowing that my advocacy at the trial court level mattered in a very direct, tangible way, I was willing to run when colleagues encouraged me to run for the open seat. As a kid growing up in Detroit, I personally experienced inequity and systemic bias. I did not believe the world was open to me. My work, however, has been to actively challenge the justice system to be more inclusive. I have the opportunity to use my law license to reduce harm and challenge inequity. Our courtrooms belong to the community. If there’s something we can do to prevent injustice, let’s take the steps necessary to make sure it happens. As a judge, I would take great pride in effectively saying, “Not on my watch.”
What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
Victim advocacy, treatment court expansion, and bias reduction will be priorities if I am elected. Victims are at higher risk of returning to the court as offenders if support isn’t received, and offenders often have underlying issues that need treatment. Through changes to court rules and community partnerships, I will work to improve victim access to services. Using my background working with under-resourced community members, I will work hard to connect with treatment court participants and offer individualized, culturally competent treatment plans. With grant funding, I will re-establish the domestic violence treatment court, and create a housing specialty court to improve oversight over probationary agreements. To decrease systemic bias, I will support data transparency efforts, prioritize alternatives to incarceration, and work toward elimination of cash bail.
Where can we find out more about you?
You can read more about me and my list of progressive supporters at MooreJustice2024.com. You can also follow me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/moorejustice2024, or Instagram and Twitter at KereneMoore.
