courtroom
Bench takes the bench

By Hon. Andrew Bench

I grew up wanting to be a lawyer but not because of my name.

When I first ran for office, my name was really a source of fun for some. The local paper covered my announcement with the headline “Bench Seeks Bench,” and when I was elected, the headline was just “Benched.”

The attorneys who appear in my court take some obvious pleasure in asking to “approach the bench,” and when I call others in the profession, particularly other judges, I have to follow my name with “believe it or not.”


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