The goldfish defense | Jennifer Richards

I’m running for office because of a goldfish. It was one of my very first cases coming out of law school, and I was serving as a public defender. One day, I found myself in court with my client, who was holding a one-gallon Crystal Geyser jug with a shiny orange goldfish swimming in it. People were staring.

The man in court with me stood in sharp contrast to when I first met him in a holding cell. He was now clean and smelled of aftershave, and he was wearing a collared shirt. When we’d spoken in the holding cell after his arrest, he was very different. He told me that his life was falling apart, he had lost his job, his girlfriend, and he was about to be evicted from his apartment. He confided in me that he knew he had a problem but he needed help.

We talked some more, and I told him that I didn’t believe the judge would release him. Then he said, “I have a goldfish at home that I need to care for.” I told him I thought the judge would laugh at me if I made that argument. He begged me to do it anyway.

When I did, the judge pulled off his spectacles and stared at us for a long pause, and then, as I had suspected he would, he began to laugh. When his laughter subsided, he said, “Mrs. Richards, in all my years I have never heard the goldfish defense. I am going to release your client with conditions and give him a chance.”

And so, in the months that followed, my client came to court – with a goldfish in a jug – and never missed a hearing. We worked with him to get the support and help that he needed.

I’m still wondering about that goldfish. Was it the same one, or did he buy a new one for every court hearing? How did he keep it alive in that jug? Did he really have one to begin with or did he just make it up? I never asked him, so I will have to keep on wondering. But what I do know is that the judge gave him hope, purpose, and a second chance. And sometimes that is all people need.

Born and raised here in Reno, I did not come from a family of lawyers, but rather a family that needed lawyers. Through my personal and professional life, I have witnessed what a difference a good judge can make in times of crisis and need. Like many in our community, my life has been touched by those suffering from substance use disorders and mental and behavioral health issues.

As a lawyer, I’ve spent over a decade in public service – working to increase access to justice for the most vulnerable in our community. I’ve had experience working for the judiciary, defense, prosecution, and practicing civil law as a supervising attorney at legal aid. In addition, I have a deep-rooted understanding of the law and its practical applications because I’ve written laws like Nevada’s Vulnerable Adult Fatality Review Committee, which seeks to improve systemic response for people with disabilities and older adults so they can live without abuse, neglect, and exploitation, as well as Nevada’s courthouse lactation law, so that every person with business at the court has a safe, private, sanitary place to express milk to feed their infant.

We need judges who are community-centered and who care about people and not case numbers. Reno deserves a judge who cares about them, listens to them, and understands them. I hope to earn your vote for judge.

Jennifer Richards is a candidate for Reno/Verdi Justice of the Peace. She is the supervising attorney for the Senior Law Center and Housing Unit with Northern Nevada Legal Aid. She and her husband have two young children. Her campaign website is www.VoteJenniferRichards.com

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This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: The goldfish defense | Jennifer Richards