Jackson Jambalaya

Madison County District 3 Justice Court judge candidate Kelly Williams penned this essay introducing herself to the voters. 

As I continue down the campaign trail, one of the questions that I'm asked frequently is: "why should I vote for you?" So I wanted to take a minute and tell everybody why I'm running for Madison County Justice Court Judge, District 3. There are actually a couple reasons why I think I'm well-suited for the position. Like I said, some people already know and if you've already heard it, then please just bear with me.

Kelly Williams, Esq.

The first reason is that I feel strongly that Justice Court Judges should be lawyers. While the law doesn't require this, I think it is important that Justice Court Judges have a fundamental understanding of due process. This is certainly not to suggest that a law degree is needed to read a statute or law, but being a judge is much more than reading a statute. In addition to being a lawyer, I believe a Justice Court Judge-and all judges for that matter-have to have common sense. This is an absolute must in Justice Court in particular, because more people will find themselves in Justice Court than any other court in our Judicial system and many, if not most, will find themselves unrepresented. This is because of the relatively low civil jurisdiction, being that Justice Court handles civil matters not to exceed more than about $3500 and generally speaking deals with misdemeanors to include DUI 1st and 2nd, traffic citations and bond hearings.

For example, let’s say I'm sued for $3500 and I go to a lawyer to hire them to represent me. Well, in many cases, that lawyer is going to charge me more than $3500, so that's a no brainer. I'm certainly not going to do that, so I'm likely going to go to court on my own without a lawyer. The Plaintiff will probably also not be represented, because in Justice Court to start your case you need only to initiate some paperwork, such as an affidavit, and the Clerks are good at guiding people through that process. This is rightly so since Justice Court is still the people's court. So now we have two parties, neither of whom is represented by lawyers. If you throw a judge into that mix who is not a lawyer, then you have problems. On the other side of that coin, that need for knowledge and understanding of due process is matched by a need for common sense. There must be common sense application of the law. Without both of these, you end up with bad decisions that affect people's lives.

The second reason is a little closer to home for me. As some of you know, my family has a long history of military support and service. My grandfather served in WWI and all three of my uncles served in WWII, one of whom was killed shortly before the war ended and remains buried in a memorial cemetery over seas. My father was Air Force and flew in Viet Nam and later served in the Air Guard. My husband served during the Gulf War and was stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and my mother, who is a nurse, retired from the Army National Guard as a full-bird Colonel. I will never be able to compare to that kind of service. Those in my family who've come before me contributed to our way of life in a way to which my contributions will not compare. My contributions to this community and country will, in large part, come in how I raise my children, my charitable contributions and how I use my education, experience and skill set. The last of these I believe make me the best-suited candidate for Madison County Justice Court Judge. Finally, I do have judicial experience. For the last five years I have presided over abuse and neglect adjudications and Delinquency proceedings.

I want to thank everyone for their support. I can't express how much it means to me. We're out of t-shirts, but ordering more and we've got more signs coming in today. Please let me know if you'd like either and visit www.kellywilliamsforjudge.com to get involved. Please get out and vote on August 4th and please consider voting for me. I need your vote!