24 | OCTOBER 15 • 2020
C
larence Dass, founder of
the Dass Law Firm and
former Oakland County
assistant prosecutor, is challeng-
ing Lori Savin in the Nov. 3 elec-
tion. Here are highlights from
his Zoom interview with the JN
edited for length and clarity.
APPROACH TO THE BENCH
I believe judges should have
empathy and understand what
it’
s like to be every single per-
son in a courtroom. I’
ve been a
prosecutor, a defense attorney,
a cancer survivor — I know
what it’
s like to be at the most
desperate moment of your life,
which is what most of the people
who come to court are facing. A
judge’
s job is to follow the law,
but I believe this can be done
with a sense of empathy.
RACIAL JUSTICE
There’
s a race problem, not just
in the court system, but system-
atically in the U.S. Why do we
have over a 70 percent minority
incarceration rate in Oakland
County? Why is it more like-
ly for a person of color to be
stopped by police? Why is the
result of a court case affected by
the attorney a person can afford?
Prosecutors, law enforcement,
and judges have to work togeth-
er in a critical way to eradicate
these things. I would require
my staff to perform implicit bias
training as I do now in my own
law firm.
ANTISEMITISM
I believe free speech stops at
the point it becomes hateful.
Antisemitism, racism, prejudice
and bigotry have no role in any
protected class of society. They
should be viewed as hate speech
and prosecuted as such.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
I’
ve prosecuted police officers.
They’
re flawed like any human
being, and when they make
mistakes, they aren’
t to be given
a pass or an excuse. Police need
to be trained throughout their
career on de-escalation and cul-
tural and racial diversity, and not
just once at the beginning.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Having been a prosecutor and
a defense attorney, my focus
isn’
t being tough on crime. It’
s
about being smart on crime, and
you have to know both sides to
understand the majority of peo-
ple with offenses need treatment
rather than incarceration.
Incarceration should be
reserved for those who pose a
great danger to society by com-
mitting violent crimes like sexual
assault and murder. The legisla-
ture needs to start pumping in
resources for people who need
rehabilitation instead.
JEWISH COMMUNITY TIES
In 2016, the Chaldean commu-
nity was almost extinguished in
the Middle East by ISIS, and the
Jewish community was the first
to support us. Similarly, when
antisemitism reared its ugly
head again, I, along with others
through the Chaldean Chamber
of Commerce, protested and
held seminars about this.
Every time one of our com-
munities takes a hit, we’
re
there for each other. It’
s been
a partnership I hope will con-
tinue.
More at
www.thejewishnews.com.
L
orie Savin, a lawyer and
a referee at the Friend of
the Court for 17½ years,
is challenging Clarence Dass in
the Nov. 3 election for the seat
that Judge James Alexander is
vacating after reaching mandato-
ry retirement age. Savin recently
joined the JN for a Zoom inter-
view. Highlights are below, edit-
ed for length and clarity.
APPROACH TO THE BENCH
Familiarity with the law and
family law is most important in
my decision-making. The sec-
ond motivation for me are the
children I’
ve had to answer to,
whether I’
ve represented them
in court or interviewed them
in custody and parenting time
cases.
JEWISH BACKGROUND
As a lawyer and a referee, I ask
myself, am I doing justice to the
people I’
m serving? Am I caring
about people the way I’
d want
them to care about me? These
values were the foundation of
what I learned in synagogue.
RACIAL JUSTICE
The way the system is rigged,
including the legal system and
evictions, negatively impacts
people of color more. How we
score people’
s credit and the
unfair treatment people receive
in the mortgage industry, this
goes back to redlining. Judges
need to be part of the solution.
As president of the Referees
Association, I’
ve been active in
State Bar of Michigan commit-
tees that work to educate lawyers
and judicial officers on issues
such as implicit biases. I’
ve long
advocated that our conduct,
word choices and actions, both
in and outside of court, affect
the ability of people to trust the
court and legal systems.
POLICE MISCONDUCT
Because somebody is in a
position of authority within a
community, this doesn’
t excuse
them from conduct that’
s illegal
or would cause the public to lose
faith in their government. We
can’
t tolerate the abuse of power,
with a badge or a gavel.
COVID-19
Accessibility and stress are two
big factors when it comes to how
I do my job right now. Zoom
has made court more accessible
for those who’
ve struggled with
transportation in the past and
can now get online for their
hearing. But there are people
who don’
t have consistent access
to the internet or don’
t know
how to use their smartphone in
that way.
I’
ve often called people and
walked them through getting
onto the system to participate.
I don’
t want to have somebody
miss their hearing because of
technology problems.
COVID has stressed every
single person I know, even
people who still have their jobs,
even those with good health
insurance. The most important
thing I can do is try to be under-
standing and compassionate
and appreciate these are unusual
times. We all have to give each
other a bit of a break.
More at
www.thejewishnews.com.
Lorie Savin: ‘We
Can’t Tolerate
Abuse of Power’
Clarence Dass:
‘Judges Should
Have Empathy’
Oakland County Circuit Court Judge