ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

By Roberto R. "Robert" Orellana

WHAT ROBERTO ORELLANA THINKS OF A JUDGE'S ROLE IN SOCIETY AND SOME INFORMATION ABOUT HIS WIFE AND EIGHT CHILDREN

A judge can educate - both from the bench and in public appearances - when discussing the judiciary and our system of justice. This role can and should be in the mind of a judge whenever in court, especially when potential jurors and witnesses are present, but also whenever addressing counsel and their clients. For example, not only can a judge play a crucial role in making society better by issuing just, fair, and reasoned decisions, a judge can and should use each and every opportunity given him or her to witness to the highest goals and aspirations of the office, the judicial system, and the grand laws of our Nation and State. Thus, judges can and should make use of public appearances to do outreach - in our schools, in our public halls, and in social settings - to explain and give witness to the highest ideals of the judiciary and the law.

A judge's critical role is revealed when listening to common complaints about what can often be perceived to be an arbitrary judicial process. Such complaints are often heard from malcontents, but also from those who do not receive such wise and fair treatment by those few judges and lawyers with whom they have interacted who do not live up to the ideals of the profession. For this reason, a judge should strive to provide contrary examples to those prone to laugh at lines such as, "It's the ninety-nine percent of lawyers that give the rest of them a bad name." A judge should always make an effort to empathize with those who appear before him or her and their clients and their families as well.

Finally, a judge should lead a personally sober and upright life, so that none view the leaders of our judicial system and our State's laws as complicit with those who are properly condemned in its courts for not doing so.

Roberto Orellana

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"Can you tell us about your wife and family?"

My wife, Mary, is a California school teacher with a lifetime credential. She has taught in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. Mary has also worked with the Santa Paula school system educating our own children over the years. Our children range from the eldest, Rafael, who now attends the University of Virginia Law School, to our youngest, three year old Sophia, who attends a pre-primary school along with her six year old sister, Francesca. We have two children, Gabriel and Helena, attending Thomas Aquinas College, located between Ojai and Santa Paula. The others, Mikhael, Regina, and Isabella, attend school in Ventura.

We have lived in Ventura County for over 30 years.

Roberto Orellana