"The Beard Grows, But The Head Does Not Grow Wiser."
"Lawyers work hard and, like us, they're human, many of them."-Dick Cavett
“A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.” - H. L. Mencken
"I tell you, I'll consult my lawyer. And if he advises me to do it, I'll get a new lawyer."-Groucho Marx 
"We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can."
Retired Wayne County Circuit and Recorders Court Judge Dalton Roberson, age 83, died on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, after being diagnosed with COVID 19.
His Detroit Free Press obituary can be found here.
Though the state of Michigan does not allow judges to run for election after age 70, I believe Judge Roberson did still work as a visiting judge well after mandatory retirement age.
After Recorders and Wayne Circuit merged in the early 1990s, and the court was split into Criminal, Civil and Family Divisions, some judges transferred from one Division to another. Judge Roberson was one of the first judges to transfer from Recorder's Court, the new Criminal Division, to the Civil Division at the City-County Building.
I was the plaintiff's lawyer in one of Judge Roberson's early civil trials. Funny thing, I don't remember what the case was about, or if I won or lost. I have a very very vague recollection that I might possibly have won, but who knows. Too bad we didn't have LinkedIn back then, to catalog all of our victories (only)--the big, the small, and the trivial.
Whatever the outcome, the thing I do remember, was that Judge Roberson, despite being an intelligent judge, with a very impressive and dignified demeanor, was not only a good judge, but a humble one.
While he was instructing the jury, counsel had to interrupt and ask to approach the bench. I'll never forget his first words to us: "What did I do wrong?" He was a judge who probably tried more criminal jury cases than I've had hot dinners, but he knew he was new to the civil "game". And he was very respectful to the the lawyers who would help him in this new phase of his judicial career.
When you forget the case, and forget the outcome, but remember the man...well that is impressive. Maybe not LinkedIn impressive. But genuinely impressive.
I was heart broken when I heard that Judge Roberson passed away. He was always a gentleman and I loved that southern accent which even made some of his stinging commentary on my motion or settlement amounts proferred on cases, not sound so harsh.
He was a true gentleman and will be missed by both bench and bar.
Posted by: Paula Cole | 11/18/2020 at 03:19 PM