A NOTE ON PRIVACY

You may have read in the DBR the other day about some Judges who are ill. We have known about some of these Judges being ill for a while now. We have chosen not to write about it in the past. nor will we do so in the future unless and until a particular Judge contacts us and specifically requests that we do so. In this spirit, we have also not published any comments, of which all have been uniformly positive and sending well wishes to those who are ill.

Why?

Two reasons: First, an illness is an intensively private matter and we respect the privacy of the attorney or Judge unless they specifically choose to share their illness with us and our readers. If that does not occur, and it has occurred in the past, then we will respect the privacy of the person who is ill. It is as simple as that, despite the fact that there will be many well wishers who will not get an opportunity to express their feelings to their friend or colleague.

The second reason is a bit more complex.

When you are diagnosed with a series illness, an insidious change can occur unless you are very careful. You walk into a heart institute or a cancer center and you slowly realize the buildings and doctors and nurses exist because of you. The research money and philanthropy that went into creating the specialized center were all done because of the illness you have. And slowly, if you are not careful, the illness comes to define you. This is a dangerous moment. The body follows the mind. What the mind conceives, the body can achieve. To get better, you cannot allow your mind to become the mind of a sick person. And yet your illness fights hard for recognition.

You are no longer the Judge affirmed on appeal, or the lawyer who gave the devastating cross and spectacular closing argument in that big case recently. You meet a friend who has someone with them and you stop to chat and as you walk away you hear your acquaintance saying to their friend "you remember that lawyer I told you who just got got diagnosed with cancer? That was him..." You become the Judge battling cancer, or the lawyer who recently had a serious operation. You lose your identity to the disease. Once that happens, you're almost done.

So we refuse to identify our colleagues who are ill. We choose to continue to interact with Judges and lawyers for the people they are, not the diseases they are battling. And we wish all of our friends and colleagues and even our dear robed readers who may be ill good health in the future and success in remaining who are they are and not becoming their disease.

The body follows the mind. It's a very powerful statement if you follow its implications.

See You In Court.

GOVERNOR SCOTT DOES IT AGAIN!

It pains us to say it, but the Governor has done good again, appointing long time criminal defense attorney Raag Singhal to the Circuit Court in the seat vacated by trader Vic Tobin.