Instead of asking whether a judicial candidate agrees with you politically, consider whether they have the experience, judgment, temperament, and integrity necessary to make difficult decisions fairly.

Some questions worth asking include:

• Does this candidate have substantial courtroom experience?

• Have they handled complex and consequential cases?

• Do they understand different sides of the justice system?

• Do they have the temperament to listen before making a decision?

• Will they treat attorneys, victims, defendants, litigants, jurors, and court staff with dignity and respect?

• Can they make difficult decisions based on the facts and the law rather than personal or political beliefs?

• Have they demonstrated professionalism and integrity throughout their career?

• Do they understand the community they will serve?

Those are the qualities I believe voters should consider when deciding who belongs on the bench.

Because a judge's job is fundamentally different from the job of a legislator, governor, or county commissioner.

Judges don't write laws or create public policy. They apply the law to the cases that come before them.

Judicial candidates must also protect their ability to fairly hear future cases. Taking positions or making promises about matters that could come before the court can undermine the very impartiality we expect from a judge.

You should know what I believe about being a judge: fairness matters. Everyone deserves to be heard. The law should be applied impartially. Courtrooms should be professional and respectful. Decisions should be made carefully and independently.

But I will not tell voters how I would rule on a particular issue or type of case before I've heard the evidence and considered the law.

That's not avoiding the question. That's respecting the role I'm asking voters to entrust me with.

A Circuit Court judge handles serious, complicated, and deeply consequential matters. The decisions made in these courtrooms can affect someone's freedom, finances, family, business, safety, and future.

There is no substitute for understanding how a courtroom actually works.

I've practiced law since 2014 and have worked on both sides of the criminal justice system. I prosecuted cases in Crook County and ultimately served as Chief Deputy District Attorney. Today, I represent people as a criminal defense attorney.

That experience has required me to evaluate evidence, understand complicated legal questions, work with victims and defendants, try cases, and see firsthand how decisions made inside a courtroom affect people outside of it.

A judge shouldn't approach a case assuming one side is right.

My career has allowed me to see our criminal justice system from different perspectives.

As a prosecutor, my responsibility was to pursue justice and protect the community. As a defense attorney, my responsibility is to ensure that the rights of the accused are protected and that the State meets its burden.

Those roles are different, but both have reinforced the same principle for me: our justice system works best when the process is fair, the law is followed, and everyone in the courtroom is treated with dignity.

As a judge, my responsibility would be to neither side. It would be to the law and to the fair administration of justice.

No. Circuit Courts are Oregon's courts of general jurisdiction.

Judges may hear criminal cases, civil disputes, family law matters, juvenile cases, probate matters, protective orders, and other cases that profoundly affect people's lives.

That's one reason judgment and temperament matter so much. A judge may move from a serious criminal matter to a case involving a family or child, a business dispute, or another deeply personal situation.

Every person who enters that courtroom deserves the same careful attention and respect.

Judicial temperament is about much more than being polite.

A good judge needs to be patient enough to listen, confident enough to make difficult decisions, humble enough to approach each case with an open mind, and disciplined enough to separate personal beliefs from the law.

It also means treating people professionally even when circumstances are difficult or emotions are high.

Throughout my legal career, I've made it a practice to shake opposing counsel's hand after every jury trial, before the verdict is read.

We can advocate strongly, disagree completely, and still respect one another and the institution we're serving.

That's the kind of courtroom I believe a judge should lead.

I don't believe a judge's job can be reduced to being "tough" or "lenient."

A judge's responsibility is to be fair.

That means taking public safety seriously. It also means protecting constitutional rights, considering the facts and circumstances of each case, following Oregon law, and imposing lawful and appropriate consequences when required.

A predetermined outcome isn't justice. Every case deserves individual consideration.

Judges make decisions about real people and real families.

I was born and raised in Central Oregon and returned here to build my career and raise my family. I'm a husband, father, small business owner, and youth coach in addition to being an attorney.

My experiences outside the courtroom don't determine how I would rule inside it. But they reinforce the responsibility that comes with the position.

What happens in a courtroom rarely affects only one person. Decisions can have consequences for victims, defendants, spouses, parents, children, employers, and the broader community.

A judge should never lose sight of that responsibility.

Don't vote for me because you think you know how I would rule on a particular case.

Consider my experience.

Consider my record of service.

Consider how I've conducted myself as a prosecutor and a defense attorney.

Consider whether I've demonstrated the professionalism, fairness, integrity, independence, and judgment you expect from someone making consequential decisions about members of our community.

Then make your decision.

That's how I believe judges should be chosen.