Judge James S. McAuliffe, Jr.

Saturday, our Bar Association and our profession lost a great member when Judge James S. McAuliffe, Jr. died.  I only had one case in front of him during his tenure, and actually, he was sitting as a retired judge.  It was a doozy of a case, a case that involved the modification of custody.  It stretched from 3 days into 4, and into the evening at that.  I remember a lot of the facts of that case, in a vague sort of way.  What I remember with breathtaking clarity is Judge McAuliffe.  He ran his courtroom like clockwork, and didn't allow the case to become sidetracked, but he did it with respect and kindness.  He treated everyone in that courtroom, from the courtroom clerk down to the lowly attorney for the child (me), the way he would have wanted to be treated were he on the other side of the bench.  He listened patiently to all the evidence, demonstrated he was listening not only by his demeanor but also by his periodic clarifying questions.  At the end, he delivered a well reasoned opinion, consistent with the evidence.  He acknowledged to the parents what a difficult decision it was for him to make, how important a decision it was, and how wrenching for them it must have been.   In that trial, he was everything a judge should be, and as fine a man as I have met.  There's a reason we called him "Gentleman Jim."  He will be missed - sorely.