Candidate Profiles
The Monroe Times contacted candidates in area races and gave them the opportunity to submit profile information. The following profiles were returned and are published below as they were submitted. Guy Taylor, Katherine Findley, Duane Jorgenson and Gayle Jebbia are running in the Feb. 17 primary election for Lafayette County circuit court judge. The top two in votes advance to an election April 7, the winner of which will replace retiring judge William Johnston. Johnston, who has held the position since 1985, will retire when his term ends July 31.
Gayle Jebbia
Age: 53
City/town of residence: Darlington
Family: I have three children, Jezzamin (Phillips), Aidan and Olivia; and one grandson, Anthony.
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Science Oregon State University, Doctor of Jurisprudence University of Oregon School of Law 1992.
Occupation: Attorney. In 1999 I opened a private practice law office in Dodgeville. Since that time I have been serving clients in Lafayette, Iowa and Grant Counties.
Previous relevant experience: I have over two decades of legal practice handling cases in many areas of law including contracts, personal injury, all areas of family and juvenile law, real estate, corporation counsel matters and criminal and civil litigation in both jury and bench trials. In addition, as an independent business owner I understand the need to have efficient systems in place to handle case management. I was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to serve on the Office of Lawyer Regulation District 12 Investigative Committee. While serving on this committee for three terms (9 years), I investigated ethics complaints in Southwest Wisconsin and made recommendations directly to the board. I was also appointed by the Supreme Court to the Appointment Selection Committee where I examined lawyer and citizen résumés and recommended various committee appointments directly to the Court. I served on a planning committee to create multi-day training seminars for lawyers, judges and social services workers and served as the Iowa County Bar President for 5 years.
What is your judicial philosophy?
I do not believe in judicial activism. Circuit Court Judges serve the county by determining the facts, or accepting the facts as determined by the jury, and applying the statutes and current case law authority handed down from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I do not believe judges have the authority to interpret the laws in such a way as to serve a particular agenda or faction of society. If individuals or groups feel the law is incorrect, the proper means of changing laws is through the legislative system - not by novel statutory interpretation.
What personal qualities or characteristics, other than fairness and impartiality, would you bring to the bench?
In my 53 years I have a lot of life experience. In between college and law school I served by joining the Peace Corps and lived in Paraguay for two years teaching in grade school. Ultimately, after becoming an attorney, I decided to open my own law office. I have learned patience, confidence, and an appropriate temperament to handle multiple clients and case matters on a day-to-day basis. I work well with other attorneys to resolve matters but I am not afraid to pursue issues when necessary. People who appear in court are often in crisis, be it as a family in the middle of a divorce or a criminal facing serious penalties. Good judges have an appropriate level of compassion and yet are able to make the hard choices that affect people's lives. After years of triaging cases as they come into my office, I have learned to handle the most difficult people and situations.
Is there a case you have been involved with of which you are particularly proud? And is there a case you have been involved with that, in retrospect, you wish you had handled differently? Please explain.
There is not one particular case that I can discuss, but about once per year I am involved in a case where a child or children are in dire need. Some of these cases are adoptions that go wrong, divorce or social services matters. It is especially gratifying to advocate for the best interest of the child, obtain necessary services and have the child, and sometimes the whole family, ultimately thrive rather than being cast aside and becoming juvenile statistics. These cases bring me the most satisfaction because I make a difference to the child and the family.
Many years ago I had a personal injury jury trial which I lost and in retrospect I wore out the jury such that they were tired of the case. In retrospect a three day trial instead of a four day trial would have served the case better.
Do you believe the current criminal/civil court system is effective, or do you believe our current justice system is becoming ineffective? Are there methods or changes you would like to see instituted to increase the effectiveness and/or efficiency of our court system?
The current justice system is effective if the parties and attorneys are held to a particular standard of practice. Too frequently attorneys and clients show up (or don't) to court and simply continue the matter for months on end. For example, I became involved in a restraining order case that was filed in September 2014. These cases, by statute, are to be heard in 14 days, however, the attorneys asked for a continuance. In January 2015 I was appointed by the court to represent one of the parties and the matter was resolved in about 10 days. People needing the court system are entitled to have their cases handled competently and without endless delay.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Rather than specializing in one area of law, I have knowledge and experience in multiple areas of law, such that if elected I am ready to immediately proceed with hearing cases in all areas and phases. It takes years to really learn and understand certain areas of law. For example, in complex family cases where an entire family will be forever impacted by the judge's decision, a judge must have working experience with intricate financial issues as well as child custody and placement matters. In the last 23 years I have honed my skills in family law as well as real estate, business law, contracts, criminal law and personal injury. Therefore, in the majority of cases that I would be deciding, I will have knowledge and experience from actually representing clients. It is one thing to read the statutes and case law, but it takes practical experience and application over time to really understand and master the law so that individuals are truly receiving the best service possible. In addition, as a sole practitioner, I bring knowledge and skills on how to efficiently run an office so that cases would not languish, as individuals deserve to have their cases decided as soon as feasibly possible.
Age: 53
City/town of residence: Darlington
Family: I have three children, Jezzamin (Phillips), Aidan and Olivia; and one grandson, Anthony.
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Science Oregon State University, Doctor of Jurisprudence University of Oregon School of Law 1992.
Occupation: Attorney. In 1999 I opened a private practice law office in Dodgeville. Since that time I have been serving clients in Lafayette, Iowa and Grant Counties.
Previous relevant experience: I have over two decades of legal practice handling cases in many areas of law including contracts, personal injury, all areas of family and juvenile law, real estate, corporation counsel matters and criminal and civil litigation in both jury and bench trials. In addition, as an independent business owner I understand the need to have efficient systems in place to handle case management. I was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to serve on the Office of Lawyer Regulation District 12 Investigative Committee. While serving on this committee for three terms (9 years), I investigated ethics complaints in Southwest Wisconsin and made recommendations directly to the board. I was also appointed by the Supreme Court to the Appointment Selection Committee where I examined lawyer and citizen résumés and recommended various committee appointments directly to the Court. I served on a planning committee to create multi-day training seminars for lawyers, judges and social services workers and served as the Iowa County Bar President for 5 years.
What is your judicial philosophy?
I do not believe in judicial activism. Circuit Court Judges serve the county by determining the facts, or accepting the facts as determined by the jury, and applying the statutes and current case law authority handed down from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I do not believe judges have the authority to interpret the laws in such a way as to serve a particular agenda or faction of society. If individuals or groups feel the law is incorrect, the proper means of changing laws is through the legislative system - not by novel statutory interpretation.
What personal qualities or characteristics, other than fairness and impartiality, would you bring to the bench?
In my 53 years I have a lot of life experience. In between college and law school I served by joining the Peace Corps and lived in Paraguay for two years teaching in grade school. Ultimately, after becoming an attorney, I decided to open my own law office. I have learned patience, confidence, and an appropriate temperament to handle multiple clients and case matters on a day-to-day basis. I work well with other attorneys to resolve matters but I am not afraid to pursue issues when necessary. People who appear in court are often in crisis, be it as a family in the middle of a divorce or a criminal facing serious penalties. Good judges have an appropriate level of compassion and yet are able to make the hard choices that affect people's lives. After years of triaging cases as they come into my office, I have learned to handle the most difficult people and situations.
Is there a case you have been involved with of which you are particularly proud? And is there a case you have been involved with that, in retrospect, you wish you had handled differently? Please explain.
There is not one particular case that I can discuss, but about once per year I am involved in a case where a child or children are in dire need. Some of these cases are adoptions that go wrong, divorce or social services matters. It is especially gratifying to advocate for the best interest of the child, obtain necessary services and have the child, and sometimes the whole family, ultimately thrive rather than being cast aside and becoming juvenile statistics. These cases bring me the most satisfaction because I make a difference to the child and the family.
Many years ago I had a personal injury jury trial which I lost and in retrospect I wore out the jury such that they were tired of the case. In retrospect a three day trial instead of a four day trial would have served the case better.
Do you believe the current criminal/civil court system is effective, or do you believe our current justice system is becoming ineffective? Are there methods or changes you would like to see instituted to increase the effectiveness and/or efficiency of our court system?
The current justice system is effective if the parties and attorneys are held to a particular standard of practice. Too frequently attorneys and clients show up (or don't) to court and simply continue the matter for months on end. For example, I became involved in a restraining order case that was filed in September 2014. These cases, by statute, are to be heard in 14 days, however, the attorneys asked for a continuance. In January 2015 I was appointed by the court to represent one of the parties and the matter was resolved in about 10 days. People needing the court system are entitled to have their cases handled competently and without endless delay.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Rather than specializing in one area of law, I have knowledge and experience in multiple areas of law, such that if elected I am ready to immediately proceed with hearing cases in all areas and phases. It takes years to really learn and understand certain areas of law. For example, in complex family cases where an entire family will be forever impacted by the judge's decision, a judge must have working experience with intricate financial issues as well as child custody and placement matters. In the last 23 years I have honed my skills in family law as well as real estate, business law, contracts, criminal law and personal injury. Therefore, in the majority of cases that I would be deciding, I will have knowledge and experience from actually representing clients. It is one thing to read the statutes and case law, but it takes practical experience and application over time to really understand and master the law so that individuals are truly receiving the best service possible. In addition, as a sole practitioner, I bring knowledge and skills on how to efficiently run an office so that cases would not languish, as individuals deserve to have their cases decided as soon as feasibly possible.