Storch for District Court Judge

Q&A

Home: Bahama, NC

Age: 44

Family: Wife, Madeline J. Serrano; Children, Joseph (11), Nick (4), Julia (4), Will (3) Education:

Education:
Bachelor of Arts , Philosophy, University of Buffalo
Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Buffalo
Juris Doctor, Law, North Carolina Central University School of Law

Occupation: Durham County Magistrate

Political Affiliation: Independent

Community Involvement: Tobaccoland Kiwanis Club (former Director and Vice President); Chapel Hill Center for Women (former volunteer legal counsel), Allexperts.com volunteer for the past 14 years (http://en.allexperts.com/q/Philosophy-1361/indexExp_4938.htm to see some of my responses over the years).

Top priorities if elected: To be fair, impartial, and compassionate in making legal decisions.  Being objective and following the letter of the law along with the rules of  criminal or civil procedure doesn’t preclude being reasonable and exercising discretion.  As a prosecutor I never made it my goal to convict everyone at all costs but those who have worked with me in District Court will tell you that I listen and make decisions in accord with the facts of each case presented, and that I considered all the relevant circumstances in prosecuting crimes, including input from victims.  As a Magistrate, I am required to be a fair and impartial in balancing the letter of the law, the constitutional rights of the accused, and the safety of our community.  And as a judge, I will continue to exercise the same virtues in judicial matters.

If you could solve one problem in your community and/or district, what would it be? Recidivism in our criminal justice system.  Unfortunately, many of the same people commit a majority of the crimes in Durham.  The only way to avoid this cycle is intervention.  For adults, there are programs like Drug Treatment Court that help people break their addictions and regain control over their lives.  For teens, there are programs like Teen Court, that try to keep kids from being lured into the criminal lifestyle.  These programs aren’t perfect but they are a start.  Therefore, I strongly advocate any kind of intervention, the earlier the better, to stop the revolving door between the courthouse and the streets.

Name a book, movie or piece of art that has inspired you the most and explain why. Plato’s Republic.  I must have read this 2,500 year old work at least 50 times in my 18 years teaching philosophy and ethics.  And every time I work through the text with my students, I would discover something new.  It is a seminal work in western literature that asks one simple question: ‘What is Justice?’  It is the answer to that question that I still wrestle with to this day and has led me to this wonderful career of practicing law.  Every day I try to answer that question by carefully choosing my actions in the courtroom as well as at home with my children so that I set the best possible example for others.

Any other questions?  Just email me using the mail link below and to the right, or click on the contact us page link at the top of the page, and I’ll get back to you right away.  Or even better, register as a user of this website and post your question as part of this public forum.