Mitch Greene, a candidate for municipal judge in Federal Way, Wash., in the Seattle area, told JNS that not only does law run several generations back in his family, but his father was “already Jewish dadding” when he chose his name.
“He could see me being a lawyer,” Greene said with a laugh. “Mitchell Reuben Greene. It sounds like a law firm.”
Greene, 59, used the inside of a courtroom as his backdrop during a 30-minute video conversation with JNS. He told JNS that his maternal uncle, Ben Maslan, was a lawyer known for his collection of 4,000 rare Bibles, which he donated upon his death to American Jewish University’s Ostrow Library.
The Modern Orthodox Jew, who grew up in Seattle, is seeking the judgeship after three decades of practicing law. He smiled as he told JNS a story about one time when he presided over a courtroom pro tempore. His wife brought their 2-year-old daughter to watch in the back.
After his wife told their daughter that she had to “be quiet for the judge,” the latter “bursts out and says, ‘That’s not the judge. That’s Daddy!’” Greene said. “Everyone in the courtroom just starts cracking up.”
The Greenes now have three children and three grandchildren. He’s running for the bench because he wants to think deeply, not just run a business. “I want to use my brain,” he told JNS.
He said that two of the things he’d like to improve if elected are making court forms accessible in more languages and ensuring that courthouse staff are more available on Fridays.
Greene is running against Danielle Havens, who is endorsed by the local Democratic Party. During an Oct. 23 forum, Greene said that funding challenges have created a backlog of “20 to 30 cases ready to go to trial, but only about one to two trials can be conducted a week.”
Havens countered that funds should be used to treat people with opioid addiction to “reduce recidivism,” per the Federal Way Mirror. She also said that she “is meant to be a municipal court judge, because she has a desire to be part of a community.”
“She’s more touchy-feely,” Greene told JNS.
