JUDGE DREAD -- by Steve Nadis
A few days ago, I came across a familiar face in the Boston Globe--the judge who presided over my wedding quite a few years back. He's an extremely nice guy--a friend of a close friend--and cast an aura of good will over the entire proceedings. But the article in the newspaper concerned another matter altogether: The same judge was now presiding over a case in which a Boston-area man was charged with murdering his wife and young daughter. I then realized, though it's obvious if you think about it, that this man (as with other judges in criminal courts) has to hear, in vivid detail, about some of the most heinous acts that man perpetrates against his fellow man. (I trust I won't be accused of being sexist in this instance.) Not only must he hear about this stuff, he must follow it in exacting detail so that he can later render what is supposed to be a fair and informed judgment. I don't believe he does many weddings, but I can see that he might want to take on a few, every now and then, to offset some of the horrible things he has to think about in a typical work week.
