Mindy Walker

The November 2018 election was notable for the many women elected to offices nationwide. In Jefferson County, Mindy Walker, who won her race for district court judge, was the only woman to run in a contested race.

Now, as she’s still moving into her office at the historic county courthouse, Walker has started her tenure as a judge.

“I’m really grateful to both Judge (Jill) Landes and the staff here,” Walker said of her predecessor. “It’s felt like a very positive transition. … I’ve been having fun on the bench hearing cases and handling stuff off the bench as well.”

Now that the transition period is coming to an end, Walker is getting down to business. In her first few months, she hopes to start working on improving access to west Jefferson County citizens, continuing and improving the mental health therapeutic court program, and weighing citizens’ liberties against community safety in each of her decisions.

“I would say I do feel a greater responsibility, but it’s a positive thing to feel that responsibility because this is the community I live in, and I want our community to be safe, and I want people’s rights to be upheld,” Walker said. “Something I feel really passionately about is making sure that people have access to justice, and access to the courts.”

Walker is planning to reach out to the district court judge in Forks in the upcoming weeks to begin working on one of her campaign promises: holding court in west Jefferson County.

“I would like to start holding court in the west end periodically,” Walker said. “I would like to start with at least once a month. I can’t put a firm number on that yet. One of the challenges is the requirements the court is under to have a live process, have it recorded, and to have the staff there to make that function. I believe that it’s doable, it’s just going to take some thinking outside the box to make it happen.”

Walker also hopes to strengthen relationships with the sheriff’s and prosecutor’s offices in regard to the mental health therapeutic court program.

“That is one of the areas that I’d love to see more people come to the table,” Walker said. “I’m really excited about the program and being part of it.”

The mental health court diverts selected defendants with mental illnesses into judicially supervised, community-based treatment. A team of court staff, mental health professionals and local service providers work to develop treatment plans and supervision.

“The hope is that they graduate from mental health court, know what resources are out there for them, and go on to be contributing members of the community,” Walker said.

Walker is focusing on her day-to-day job of making fair decisions on the bench.

“Each time you are considering putting someone into custody, you have to weigh that seriously because you’re affecting someone’s liberty,” Walker said. “But you’re also really weighing the safety of the community, and that’s just as important.”

Walker also is getting to know the process and the courthouse staff.

“Mindy has a very thoughtful demeanor,” said attorney Samuel Ramirez, Walker’s former colleague. “We definitely miss her. But I’m elated for her and for the county. … Her knowledge of the law balanced with her kind demeanor will serve Jefferson County very well.”

And she’s working on balancing her new job with her family life.

“The kids have been able to come here a couple of times to see my office and meet the staff and to learn about the court system,” she said. “It’s challenging, too, because it’s a new routine. We’re still adjusting to that. But I think it’s going really well with my family.”