Set to retire, Guthrie recalls career
In 1993, David Guthrie was appointed to his current position as a circuit judge for the 13th Judicial District Three circuit judge positions opened up almost simultaneously in the district, a development that conjured plenty of competition.
“It was an unusual circumstance… with three positions opened up, a lot of lawyers were taking a good look. It’s not that we had planned on it ahead of time but it came. I decided to seek appointment to one position and after a time, at the next election, I would run for this position, which was Harry Barnes’ old position,” Guthrie.
Guthrie faced a contested election during the first cycle and has, since then, run unopposed.
“It’s an incentive to work hard and be a solid judge, so that no other lawyer will want to try to replace you,” Guthrie said.
The elevation from lawyer to circuit judge was not particularly jarring, Guthrie said.
“I had done some of this kind of work but it of course became more specialized. Judge Barnes did, I think, about 95% of the civil in this six county district. That was changed by Amendment 80, which required a branching out. In addition to the civil docket, I do work in the domestic relation and probate docket. I do 75% of the civil work in all six counties,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie has seen the processes of civil court change a bit over time. A reliance on jury trials has, in particular, given way to a greater
focus on “other methods of dispute resolution” such as mediation.
“These cases are an extension of the problem solving that lawyers do, except a bit more focused on individual cases. Each case is a community problem that cannot be resolved in other ways so, they come to court and each have an advocate. The judge is the arbiter of the law and sometimes the trier of fact - that could be the judge or a jury,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie’s departure will mean the loss of not just an experienced judge, but a walking repository of knowledge of the history of the Union County Courthouse.
Still present on the second floor of the courthouse are outdated amenities including a quasi-dormitory room for the (all-male) jurors, a holding cell complete with a heavy iron door and an old, now long disused elevator. The judge acts as a veritable tour guide to anyone interested, fully capable of relaying “snapshots of history” about the minutiae of the historical and current processes of the court.
Guthrie also expresses pride in the upkeep of his own courtroom, including new light fixtures that better illuminate the vaulted ceiling.
Guthrie, now almost 73, has had to come to terms with his impending retirement.
“It’s the end of my term. We circuit judges are elected for six-year terms, and I will be 73 next month and it’s probably time to retire. There is a law that says if you have qualified for retirement - after age 70 - and are elected to office you forfeit your retirement. We tried to change that with legislation and the court system but could not. The law doesn’t prevent you from serving as long as you want, but you want get your contributions to that retirement back. We’re the only public position that has the age-related factor,” Guthrie said.
Fully aware of the law and his own term limit, Guthrie has been preparing for his retired life.
“We had a judge we tried to keep in because he was too competent and too young to be retired by that, but he was… I knew it would apply to me as well, so I’ve starting thinking and planning for retirement. It’s the right thing for me at this time. I have grandchildren spread out a bit, and my wife has a “honey-do” list that seems to grow every day. It will be nothing major - travel and odds-and-ends that I want to do,” Guthrie said.
Reflecting on his career, Guthrie expressed both satisfaction with his achievements and appreciation for the many people he has worked with along the way.
“I’ll miss my work in the law - I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel that I worked hard at it and made a difference here locally… It should also be said that my work has been greatly facilitated by the staff I’ve had over the years - the clerks, the deputies,” Guthrie said.