For which department is your candidacy?
-Department two.
How long have you resided in Calaveras County?
-I have lived in Calaveras for 11
years, my wife over 20.
What are your qualifications?
-I
earned my undergraduate degree in History from Duke University in 1986 and my
Law Degree from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in
2000. I have been a Criminal Prosecutor
and a member of the California State Bar Association for over 13 years. I have prosecuted thousands of cases during
my career having personally handled over 1000 cases as the only attorney
assigned. During 2013 there were approximately
1500 adult misdemeanor and felony cases heard in Calaveras Courts. In only two years as a charging deputy for my
office in San Joaquin County I reviewed over 10,000 police reports in order to
determine whether charges should be filed.
I am the only candidate for Department 2 who has this experience. It will take years for a Judge sitting in
Calaveras who does not have my experience to gain the knowledge I already have
as a prosecutor.
What are your greatest strengths?
-
My family, compassion for others, my desire to ensure justice, courtroom experience,
my knowledge of the law and life experiences outside the law.
What are your greatest weaknesses?
-You
might be better off asking my wife the answer to this question. Otherwise, it’s Skittles and Girl Scout
cookies.
Do you feel you can be impartial?
-As
a Criminal Prosecutor, and an advocate for the People of the State of
California, my job is to Seek Justice, discover the truth and ensure I act in
the best interest of our State by being impartial and fair every day. A Prosecutor is held to the highest of
ethical standards; so much so, a prosecutor could be disbarred for knowingly
prosecuting a person he knew didn’t commit the crime charged. This is very different from a private attorney
whose job it is to advocate only for their client and get for them the best
resolution they can without consideration for impartiality or fairness.
Why have you chosen to be a candidate for
civil/criminal superior court judge?
-Over
75% of the cases heard in Calaveras Courts are criminal. It is essential for Calaveras County to have
Judges in both departments who understand all aspects of criminal law. This is because Criminal Cases are heard in
BOTH departments. Calaveras has too many Criminal cases for only one department
to handle all the Criminal Cases. No
other candidate for Department 2 has my experience as a Criminal Prosecutor,
nor have they dedicated their professional careers to Public Safety, Victim’s
Rights and to seeking Justice like I have.
What do you perceive as the greatest obstacles to
justice within our County?
-Funding for all aspects of Law Enforcement.
How would you address the perceived rise in juvenile
crime?
-Regardless whether the case is heard in Adult or Juvenile Court it is
essential to ensure the law is followed and victim’s rights are respected.
Do you support specialty courts? (Please explain
your answer and define which specialty courts you would like to see continue or
implemented in Calaveras County.)
-Yes;
where and as authorized by the legislature, specialty courts (such as a
Veteran’s Court or a Mental Health Court) can be a useful tool in order to
further justice by utilizing compassion and all available resources. However, each type of specialty court must be
thoroughly researched and examined in order to ensure its use would be
appropriate for Calaveras County.
What is your general judicial philosophy?
-A
Judge must follow the law, be fair, be open to hearing both sides of a dispute
by making sure every voice is heard and ensure all who come before the Court
are treated with dignity and respect.
They must be dedicated to the public safety, do their best to ensure
victims, and the families of victims, are made whole to the fullest extent of
the law and ensure justice for all.
Judges do this by being honest, fair and always conducting themselves
with integrity by demonstrating respect for all parties to a dispute.
Would you favor or oppose a system in which all
sentencing decisions were routinely reported in local newspapers, indexed by
the name of the judge?
-I
would not oppose a system where the rulings or determinations of any of our
community leaders, including Judges, were reported in local newspapers;
accountability of our elected officials is important. Whether or not to publish this public information
is already an option available for the media.
However, in the context of reporting judicial decisions regarding
sentencing it becomes extremely difficult to properly place each individual
case in context when you weigh all of the different considerations for a
particular sentencing decision. While
often similar, virtually no cases are identical.
Have you ever been disciplined by the State Bar
association?
-No.
What are your outside interests?
-My
family, raising my two children with my wife, coaching youth football, cub
scouts and all the other activities my children participate in.
At this point I will allow any additional
information the candidate would like to disseminate to the public within the
parameters of the judicial canon, limited to 200 words.
My name is Tim Healy and I’m
running for Superior Court Judge Department 2.
Married to my best friend Rachel, we are raising our children here in
Calaveras. An avid sportsman, I’m
active in Cub Scouts, youth football and Friends of Calaveras County Fair. I have a real and vested interest in the
future of Calaveras.
While a Criminal Prosecutor for 13
years, I have worked with Civil Law (employment, personal injury, real estate
and family law) as a law school intern and in my current assignment as the lead
prosecutor for the San Joaquin County Child Abduction Unit. I’m required to work extensively with Family and
International Law. I have also had the
honor to teach law students as an adjunct law professor at Humphreys College. No other candidate for Department 2 has these
experiences!
If elected I promise to use my
experience and love for our county to do my best in every
case. I will pursue public safety,
ensure justice and see every voice gets a chance to be heard while being fair,
honest and keeping an open mind to both sides.
I am asking for your vote June 3rd.
It’s your choice Calaveras!
Sincerely,
Tim Healy
