Columnist Jeff German: The smiles return to Drug Court

Friday, Aug. 1, 2003 | 11:16 a.m.

It's been a long time since the professionals at troubled Drug Court have had reason to smile.

They can thank Chief District Judge Gene Porter for guiding them out of the depths of despair.

Porter, you may have heard, finally got money from the Legislature to hire back popular Senior District Judge Jack Lehman to oversee the once-acclaimed program Lehman created in 1992.

Most of the smiles in Drug Court, however, are over the departure of District Judge Jesse Walsh, who has been accused of wreaking havoc on the program during her seven months at the helm. Walsh inherited Drug Court in January after Lehman retired as a full-time judge.

As reported here six weeks ago, Walsh created a hostile work environment among the lawyers and staffers assigned to the program. She also was rude to participants and failed to grasp the teamwork concept of the program, which is designed to help drug addicts seek treatment and avoid harsh prison terms.

Don't be fooled by the sugar-coated news release Porter issued this week, saying the game plan all along was to bring back Lehman.

Though that probably is true, the rapid deterioration of Drug Court under Walsh made the move a must in recent weeks -- if only to keep Porter and courthouse administrators from tearing out their hair.

Walsh is being reassigned to handle civil cases on a full-time basis, where she is less likely to cause embarrassment to Porter and the rest of her colleagues.

Mindful that Walsh, like himself, was elected by the voters, Porter portrayed the inexperienced judge in as favorable a light as possible in his news release.

And yet he also skillfully got Walsh to admit that she was not cut out for Drug Court.

Walsh was quoted as saying "it takes a very special person like Jack Lehman to embrace this program."

What it really takes is someone who knows how to treat people fairly -- a judicial trait Walsh has rarely demonstrated.

While Porter was putting a positive spin on Walsh's transfer, the lawyers and staffers in Drug Court could hardly contain their excitement over Lehman's return. His first day in court is Wednesday.

Some rebuilding of relationships and rededication to the principles of teamwork will be necessary. But Lehman, who is healthy again after a triple bypass operation in February, has the ability to quickly restore the court's once-proud reputation.

The biggest challenge for Lehman will be finding a permanent courtroom and administrative help. Senior judges don't have their own courtrooms, and they must share staff.

But that's a minor price to pay if it brings back respectability to a program that once was a model for the nation.

As for Walsh, she now has a chance to learn from her mistakes and change her attitude on the bench.

If she messes with those high-priced civil lawyers, they won't be shy about returning fire, which means Walsh may not get off so easy the next time she messes up.

You can bet Porter won't be as willing to give her cover with the voters, either.

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