DARLINGTON - Had he been interested, would Duane Jorgenson have ever run for election against William Johnston?
"Never," Jorgenson said without hesitation. "No way."
Jorgen-son, a Darlington attorney, is hardly alone. No one has dared oppose Johnston, Lafayette County's only circuit court judge, in his four re-elections at six years per term. The last time Johnston had an opponent was in 1985 when he first won the bench.
But now that Johnston, 72, has decided to retire when his term ends July 31, four replacement candidates have come out of the woodwork - Jorgenson being one of them.
Not that Jorgenson had to wait 30 years or anything. No, only 20.
But he didn't mind the waiting thanks to all the learning from which he's absorbed in Johnston's courtroom.
"If I haven't had the most appearances before him, I'm for sure second," said Jorgenson, corporation counsel with Lafayette County's human services division. It's the type of work that, sadly, lends itself to massive hours in court.
"Over the past 20 years, I'd say it averages out to daily, if not more. I'll have multiple hearings on any given day," Jorgenson said. "I don't know if I could add them up - I'd hate to see the number. He sent me a Christmas card with a picture of his courtroom - "From your second office' it read.
"At the same time, he's been a mentor of mine from the beginning. He is a very patient man. Very knowledgeable, very cerebral."
Jorgenson hopes his own patience pays off in the Feb. 17 primary against Guy Taylor, assistant public defender for Green and Lafayette counties; Katherine Findley, Lafayette County's district attorney; and Gayle Jebbia, a Dodgeville attorney. The top two vote-getters move on to the April election.
Meanwhile, Lafayette County will lose a man who made his mark with both the lawyers and defendants that stood before him.
"(As an attorney) you had best be prepared when you see him, because he's already done his work," Jorgenson said. "He knows as much if not more about the law than the attorneys before him on a given case. And if you're late or unprepared, you'll hear about it - but in a respectful way I haven't seen by many others."
How do other judges view him?
"He's the intellectual dean of judges in their eyes," Jorgenson said. "We've had some others come in now and then to replace him, and not that they weren't fine judges, but you could see the difference experience makes."
And what's the public's perception of Johnston?
"He definitely has his eye on the community's values," Jorgenson said in a tone that suggested understatement. "He's a very tough judge, but that's what the community expects.
"We are a peace-loving county out here. We leave our houses unlocked, our cars unlocked, and we'll even leave our cars running when we dash into the grocery store," Jorgenson said. "So if you can't co-exist with that, you'll be dealt with by him in an appropriate fashion.
"At the same time, I've seen him give a kid a break for being young and stupid, but you'd better not do it twice."
Meanwhile, someone else will soon be attempting to live up to Johnston's lofty status and standards. Whether it's Jorgenson or not, it could be a hard act to follow.
"It feels odd to run on the heels of his career, and I don't know whether I should yell at him or congratulate him," Jorgenson said. "I'll probably do both."
"Never," Jorgenson said without hesitation. "No way."
Jorgen-son, a Darlington attorney, is hardly alone. No one has dared oppose Johnston, Lafayette County's only circuit court judge, in his four re-elections at six years per term. The last time Johnston had an opponent was in 1985 when he first won the bench.
But now that Johnston, 72, has decided to retire when his term ends July 31, four replacement candidates have come out of the woodwork - Jorgenson being one of them.
Not that Jorgenson had to wait 30 years or anything. No, only 20.
But he didn't mind the waiting thanks to all the learning from which he's absorbed in Johnston's courtroom.
"If I haven't had the most appearances before him, I'm for sure second," said Jorgenson, corporation counsel with Lafayette County's human services division. It's the type of work that, sadly, lends itself to massive hours in court.
"Over the past 20 years, I'd say it averages out to daily, if not more. I'll have multiple hearings on any given day," Jorgenson said. "I don't know if I could add them up - I'd hate to see the number. He sent me a Christmas card with a picture of his courtroom - "From your second office' it read.
"At the same time, he's been a mentor of mine from the beginning. He is a very patient man. Very knowledgeable, very cerebral."
Jorgenson hopes his own patience pays off in the Feb. 17 primary against Guy Taylor, assistant public defender for Green and Lafayette counties; Katherine Findley, Lafayette County's district attorney; and Gayle Jebbia, a Dodgeville attorney. The top two vote-getters move on to the April election.
Meanwhile, Lafayette County will lose a man who made his mark with both the lawyers and defendants that stood before him.
"(As an attorney) you had best be prepared when you see him, because he's already done his work," Jorgenson said. "He knows as much if not more about the law than the attorneys before him on a given case. And if you're late or unprepared, you'll hear about it - but in a respectful way I haven't seen by many others."
How do other judges view him?
"He's the intellectual dean of judges in their eyes," Jorgenson said. "We've had some others come in now and then to replace him, and not that they weren't fine judges, but you could see the difference experience makes."
And what's the public's perception of Johnston?
"He definitely has his eye on the community's values," Jorgenson said in a tone that suggested understatement. "He's a very tough judge, but that's what the community expects.
"We are a peace-loving county out here. We leave our houses unlocked, our cars unlocked, and we'll even leave our cars running when we dash into the grocery store," Jorgenson said. "So if you can't co-exist with that, you'll be dealt with by him in an appropriate fashion.
"At the same time, I've seen him give a kid a break for being young and stupid, but you'd better not do it twice."
Meanwhile, someone else will soon be attempting to live up to Johnston's lofty status and standards. Whether it's Jorgenson or not, it could be a hard act to follow.
"It feels odd to run on the heels of his career, and I don't know whether I should yell at him or congratulate him," Jorgenson said. "I'll probably do both."