Paul Merritt Jr., the son of a police officer, isn't one of those people who grew up wanting to study the law.
The Lancaster County district judge who retired this week after nearly 27 years on the bench said he might've even gone to med school if he hadn't disliked the sight of blood.
Instead, he took the LSAT, got a degree from the Nebraska College of Law and started practicing -- first in Ogallala, then Lincoln -- to find that he enjoyed working with people and trying to find answers.
"I guess what spurred me on was really the people, trying to help people," Merritt said in an interview.
In the years since Gov. Kay Orr made him a judge in 1988, he's surely thrown the book at more than a few.
But there also have been others like Deanta Delarosa, an 18-year-old in his courtroom last week.
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A week from his 15th birthday, Delarosa got involved in three robberies with a gun, the kind of crime that sends people to prison. And Merritt surely considered that option before giving the kid a chance on probation and making the teenager come in for rare quarterly meetings with him.
At their last get-together, Delarosa told Merritt he's on the track team at Boys Town and set to graduate in May. And he really wants to go to college.
Merritt told him he has become a role model and asked how it made him feel.
"Now I'm actually doing something right," the teen said.
Delarosa's turnaround made him feel good, too, the judge said later.
"If I can open a door, that's all I do," he said. "Whether they go through it, it's up to the person to take advantage of the opportunities."
This week, Merritt sat down to talk about how judges need more options like drug court, why he talks so much in court and what's next for him.
As a judge you certainly can make a pretty big impact on people's lives.
There's no doubt you have a potential to do that in a lot of things. In custody cases, in divorces, in criminal cases. Yeah, you have a lot of potential for impact on people's lives, there's no doubt about that.
What spurred the leap to try to become a judge?
I just thought that I could help people. I thought that I could listen to what people say and make what I thought was a fair decision. ... I just thought it would be something that I would enjoy.
Do you think the legal system is doing enough in the way of alternatives to prison, like drug court and treatment options?
Personally, I really, really wish there were more options other than incarceration. We have so many people, in my opinion, in the judicial system that have co-occurring disorders, mental health issues, substance abuse, be it alcohol or drugs. There are so limited facilities in which we can place those people. And just warehousing them in prison or the county jail, it does not address those issues. It's a problem for judges ... and probably a problem for facilities, for example the Department of Correctional Services. What provisions can we provide for those people who are here? ...
You know, drug court is near and dear to my heart. I was involved in it a long time. Drug court is not the answer to all things. But it's a step in the right direction. ... What we're trying to do is provide opportunities for people. Drug court's a great example. We need so many more places for people with mental health issues, and they're just not there at this point.
They say something like 30 percent of the people in prisons in Nebraska have some form of mental illness.
I'd just be really, really surprised if it was that low.
What did you think of the prison's recent sentencing miscalculation issues? Was it frustrating to hear that they weren't following through on sentences that you and other judges had given?
Quite frankly, for me personally, once I impose a sentence and I say what it is, I move on. ... But when I impose a sentence, I have tried to express what my intent is and that's what I'd like to see done, obviously.
Have there been memorable cases or moments since you became a judge in 1988?
Very memorable for me, and I just can't get away from it, is drug court. Extremely memorable for me. Drug court taught me more about people in the criminal justice system than anything else I've ever done. It taught me more about people than anything else I've ever done. Not only from the interaction which you have with the people that are in drug court, but also seminars and education I went to learning how to deal with people that have co-occurring disorders, substance abuse disorders.
I've also been lucky to deal with 13 judges in the time that I've been on the bench. And every one of them has provided me with something that has made me a better judge and a better person.
You're often seeing people going through a divorce or facing prison time and not on their best day. How have you dealt with that?
Most people, when they come into a courtroom, it's not a good thing. We don't do adoptions on this floor, OK. ... When we have jury trials and bring in prospective jurors, one of the things I initially do is I try to be lighthearted about the process. That's how I am. But one of the reasons I do that is (to) try to put people at ease coming in the courtroom. It's a courtroom. Nothing good happens in a courtroom. I try to make them feel comfortable as best I can.
The term I like to use is the legal mumbo-jumbo. I try to reduce that all so people understand what we're doing.
You're consistently one of the highest rated judges by the Nebraska Bar Association. In 2014, you were over 95 percent. Do you care one way or another? What do you think it says about you as a judge?
If it was 48 percent I would care. Yeah, I do care. I look at the categories and the one thing that I really strive to be, if I can be, is fair. And to me I think that's important to attorneys. ... I like to think a lot of what those ratings relate to is fairness. And I always try to find the law that applies. I think that's what I see in that.
When I got sworn in, I remember saying something similar to, "I wanted people to understand why I did what I did." And for that reason I talk more than I should. Very seldom am I succinct. I have to explain because I want people to know what I've thought about in the process. And not everybody agrees with it, and I appreciate that. And not all the time does the appellate court agree with it, and that's fine. That's a great system we have. But I at least want people to have some level of understanding of the thought process I went through, right or wrong.
As a journalist, I really appreciate that. Because you are weighing a lot of things and if you just spit out the sentence or the decision I don't have the context that you know is at play.
It's clearly the exception to the rule when I sit down and I say, "This is it." I think about it when I'm at home. I think about it when I'm doing other things. This is a very all-encompassing job. It really is. It's a great job. It's a trying job. It's like every other job. It has its ups and downs. But I wouldn't trade what I've done for over 26 years for anything.
All I have ever done in my opinion, with respect to people in drug court, with respect to Mr. Delarosa, is if I can, open a door. That's all I do. ... But it's up to the person to take advantage of the opportunities that are afforded to them. And I wish the system had more opportunities available to allow people a chance to try and change their lives.
What advice would you have for a new judge today?
I wouldn't have any. I really wouldn't. ... We've all heard patience is a virtue. Even if you know it's a virtue, it's not always easy to do. But it's the best thing across the board.
This job has taught me to see the shades of gray at play in criminal cases, where some just see all bad or all good.
Everybody feels it. That really is human nature. And as a judge you have to try and see beyond that to see the person, see the facts of the case, see the history of the person, see what sources are available to you to try and deal with this person and then do what you think is appropriate in all those circumstances. And trust me, not everyone is going to agree. Some are going to be very vocal about not agreeing. But you just have to try, and that’s all I’ve ever done.
What's next for you?
I am married to a wonderful woman who has put up with me spending 60-plus hours a week since the day we got married in one job or another, who firmly believes that it's time that I spend more time with her. And I am where I am because of her. I firmly believe that. So I don't know what we're going to do. I'm hopeful I will find something else to do.
To go from 60 to zero is really a scary proposition. And I suspect I will find something. I do not have anything planned. I'm just going to wait and see what happens.