Page 8 September 2014 By Steven Sarkis When I tell people that I am a justice of the peace, many people often think that all I do each day is perform weddings. Let’s just say that if I only performed weddings each day, my wife would likely not have to deal with an hour’s worth of grumbling each night. I often joke, although it’s quite true, that weddings are the only time people leave the courtroom happy. The grumbling often comes from the wide range and sheer volume of cases that our court handles every day:  " & "   tickets, evictions, civil lawsuits and small claims cases, to name a few. And they come in droves. As a whole, the 26 justice courts in Maricopa County handle over 300,000 cases each year; whereas the higher courts in Arizona deal with much more serious litigation, multi-million dollar lawsuits, life sentences and even the death penalty, they handle a sliver of the volume we have in the justice courts, and rightfully so. I often try, but fail, to imagine the heavy burden placed upon our highest judges. But as they say, someone’s gotta do it. # 7     Z[[\" 7    to put the brutal politics of the election behind me and focus on the job at hand. However, the learning curve was steep. I was quickly thrown into a maze of training programs for judges, legal terminology, case law, judicial ethics, running a court and the list continues. I don’t remember         "  than being nervous and overwhelmed a large portion of the time. Yet one thing 7    &&        7     = Most satisfying part of job In a matter of one day, in addition to all the other immediate changes that came as part of getting elected, I could suddenly perform weddings. I could suddenly put on a robe, or gown, as my Australian neighbor likes to call it, and marry people. How bizarre that was. It’s still a little odd, being able to marry people, but it’s undoubtedly the best part of my job. As we all know, getting to share that incredibly special moment with people on one of the biggest days of their lives is awesome. And being the one to actually perform the ceremony for them, even better. I’ve done many weddings across the state. I’ve performed weddings at elegant and picturesque venues and I’ve done weddings in downright strange places. I once did a wedding inside a very small apartment in Tempe. The wedding party, consisting of the bride, groom and two witnesses, were all dressed in black and had their faces painted. On the wall were Insane Clown Posse posters. If you don’t know who the Insane Clown Posse is, Google them. Needless to say, that day I likely broke the world record for the fastest wedding ceremony ever performed, all while making sure the exit was constantly within arm’s reach. Yet most of the marriages I’ve done have taken place inside the courthouse. Though I’ve lost track, I must have done well over ^"[[[      7     on that fateful day. Though many things get monotonous over the years, performing a wedding and sharing that special time with people is truly something that never gets old. So, keep on getting married folks. It makes my, and most judges, days much brighter. 30th Street & Indian School Road • 602.957.8402 Lindstrom Family Auto Wash Your Neighborhood Car Wash Visit us at LindstromAutoWash.com for the “Deal of the Month!” Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 9/30/14. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 9/30/14. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 9/30/14. 15% OFF Any Detail Package $3 OFF “The Works” Car Wash $2 OFF Regular Car Wash Lindstrom Family Auto Wash Lindstrom Family Auto Wash Lindstrom Family Auto Wash PROFESSIONAL DETAIL SERVICES Engine Cleaning • Dress (top only) • Express Shampoo • Express Wax • Leather Cleaning Conditioner • Complete Interior • Exterior Over Spray Removal ARCADIA NEWS ARCADIA NEWS ARCADIA NEWS