I LOCAL NEWS I
Blanchard Picks Howard
For Circuit Court Bench
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
A
JULES R. SCHUBOT
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Men's & Boys'
paperweight shaped
as an oversized as-
pirin tablet, a gold-
colored replica of a Hershey
chocolate bar and a crystal
porcupine rest comfortably
atop attorney Barry Howard's
desk.
They are gifts from clients,
one from a woman who said
she was a big headache and
another from a client who
said Howard is better than
chocolate. The porcupine was
a gift from a client who said
Howard was tough in court to
the opposing party. Howard
won the case.
The gifts are symbolic of a
man known for his wit,
something Howard says he
may have to bridle when he
steps away from his law prac-
tice to become an Oakland
Circuit Court judge.
Gov. James Blanchard two
weeks ago appointed Howard
to complete the term of Cir-
cuit Court Judge Norman
Lippitt, who resigned to join
the same firm Howard is leav-
ing — Carson, Fischer, Potts
and Hyman of Birmingham.
"You have to be able to
laugh at yourself," Howard
says. "My sense of humor
helps get me through each
day."
Howard, 40, hopes he will
bring energy, compassion, in-
telligence and fairness to the
court. Judges, he says, must
be concerned for victims'
rights. In his court, Howard
says, victims will always be
allowed to express themselves
at the time of sentencing.
"Judges must maintain law
by precedent and shouldn't in-
terject their personal views in
their work," he says. "I have
views, but the function of the
court is to ensure that civil
liberties are enforced.
"I can make a difference in
a person's perception of what
the law can be," he says. "I
have a good temperament and
strong ideals."
Adds one of his mentors,
U.S. District Judge Bernard
Friedman, "Barry Hoi. and is
a smart guy and was a great
appointment. He has a
judicial temperament and is
well liked and respected."
Howard, also a trustee for
Western Michigan Universi-
ty, was appointed by the
governor on Feb. 10. The
following day, he started plan-
ning his re-election bid for the
November 1990 election,
when his term expires. He
will be sworn in on Monday.
Already, he has higher
visions.
"My feelings are for liberty
and compassion," he explains.
"Every lawyer wants to be a
judge and every judge's ideal
is to move up the ladder."
As a boy, Howard's aspira-
tions were clearly defined. He
understood well his Jewish
roots and contemplated life as
a rabbi. Yet his passion was
law.
"I guess I wanted to be a
lawyer more," he says.
For years, he was a member
of Congregation B'nai David.
Now he belongs to Congrega-
tion Shaarey Zedek and is a
supporter of Bais Chabad of
West Bloomfield.
His grandparents moved to
the United States from a
Barry Howard
shtetl outside Odessa at the
turn of the century to avoid
Russian massacres. A tragic
incident forced the Jewish
family to flee.
As Russian troops neared
the shtetl, where his
ancestors were hiding in a
cellar, Howard's grandmother
placed her hand over her
sister's mouth to maintain
silence. The sister suffocated
to death. The story is handed
down to each new member of
the family to remember his
roots.
Today, Howard, his wife,
Ruth Ann, and their three
children attend Shabbat ser-
vices and light candles each
week before sharing Shabbat
meals.
"We try to instill religious
values in our children," he
says, adding he has studied
Talmud and is an avid reader
of histo .y.
Other Jewish judicial ap-
pointments by Blanchard are
Judge Lippitt, Michigan
Court of Appeals Judges John
Shepherd and Martin Doc-
toroff, Probate Court Judge
Sandra Silver, 46th District
Court Judges Bryan Levy and
Susan Moiseev and 48th
District Court Judge Ed
Avadenka.