Twin Falls judge resigns

Emotions related to leaving the position took over.

“I thought it was just going to be another day, but it’s starting to hit me,” Campbell said. “It’s very bittersweet, I love what I do and I love the people, but I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”

Campbell, who was sworn in as a judge in 2012, plans to remain deeply involved in the law and likely will work with some of the same people he worked with before. He said he misses trying cases as a lawyer and will return to that role. He plans to do some contract work for the prosecutor’s office first.

Twin Falls attorney Jennifer R. Bergin was named Campbell’s successor earlier this month. Bergin is scheduled to take up his temporary position as judge on July 12.

Life has changed since Campbell was sworn in as a judge.

The title “judge” was new to him.

“The weird thing was that I never had a name, and everyone treated me with more reserve,” he said.

Campbell, who was born and raised in Wendell, said: Times-News As a judge, it’s easy to get discouraged because you haven’t had the chance to see your “success stories” again — people who changed their lives.

Defendants constantly getting into legal trouble and having to appear in court again made him question whether his actions were having any impact.

He expressed these feelings at an addiction training meeting, and in a moment of emotion, someone unrelated to the judicial system pulled out a coin that confirmed he had been sober for 15 years.

“He said, ‘You can really make a difference,’” Campbell said.

Campbell said he wanted to become a judge to serve people, and working in district court is the job where court employees have the most contact with people to fix something, solve something or help people get on the right path.

“You have power, but you are there to serve your fellow citizens,” he said. “It’s not about you, it’s about doing your best.”

Some of the most important cases that justices of the peace deal with include custody and custody matters.

“These are some of the biggest and most important decisions we make,” he said.

Campbell has a favorite quote from John W. Davis, the American politician, diplomat, and lawyer who served as attorney general under President Woodrow Wilson.

“True, we do not build bridges. We do not erect towers. We do not construct machines.” Davis said. “We paint no pictures—except as amateurs for our own amusement. Little of what we do can be seen by the human eye. But we alleviate difficulties; we alleviate stress; we correct errors; we take upon ourselves the burdens of other men, and by our efforts we make it possible for men to live peacefully in a peaceful state.”

“I love that quote,” Campbell said. “It really embodies the work of lawyers and judges.”

When asked what kind of people he had dealt with during his time as a judge, he replied, “I hope they remember me as someone who cared about them, because I did.”