From left are Republican Party of Grant County Chairman Don Luhrsen, Maria Perkins and her husband, Will Perkins, candidate for Sixth Judicial District Court JudgePhoto and article by Frost McGahey
“Judges should follow the law. Not make the law,” William Perkins said at a luncheon for the Republican women on Wednesday. Perkins is running for Judge of the Sixth Judicial District (which covers Grant, Hidalgo, and Luna counties) in November. He has been appointed by Governor Martinez to fill the interim vacancy by another judge, and will begin on October 9.
“I am an attorney at Lopez, Dietzel, Perkins and Watson and 25 percent of my work is being a public defender because we have a contract with the state," he continued. "When a defendant can’t afford a lawyer, the judge assigns the case to my law firm..”
Perkins said that about 25 percent of his work is as a public defender. "I never saw myself doing that kind of work until I was a third year law student. I was observing a judge handling some minor infractions such as trespassing or traffic tickets where most of the defendants received punishments such as a $500 fine. One man had been arrested for using two fishing poles at a lake when he had only one fishing license. The Judge sentenced the man to spend two weeks in jail.”
“Right then, I thought 'that man needs a lawyer,'" he said. "I didn’t know what the background was. Had the man done this before or committed other offenses? But whatever, a lawyer could have presented the judge a different set of facts and helped that man. That’s when I decided I could be a public defender.”
One of Perkins' guiding principles is that people should be held responsible for what they do. "But I do believe in second chances as long as it doesn’t result in more harm.
That’s where probation comes in. The word 'probation' comes from the Latin phrase 'to test.' Probation is a test to see if one can act responsibly.”
“I believe we need to be smarter on crime, not tougher," he said. "We live in a great country. Often the people I meet as a public defender don’t see the opportunities that are out there for them.”
“An example of being smarter on crime is Drug Court which Grant County has had for 10 years," Perkins noted. "Under this system the offender is tested every week, has a curfew, meets with a monitor, and is subject to random urinalysis. Plus, once a week that person is in front of a judge. If the offender hasn’t lived up to the requirements, the judge can shorten the person’s curfew or even send him to jail.”
He said he believes he shares many of the qualities of the best judges he has been in front of during his career. "I treat everybody with fairness and courtesy. I have an even temperament, and a dedication to see that the law is understood and applied fairly in each case. I am excited to be running for judge and seeking the opportunity to serve a community that has been so good to me and my family.”
The Grant County Federated Republican Women gather monthly for lunch and a meeting. Luncheons are now held at the Sunset room of the WNMU Cafeteria on the Third Wednesday at 11:30. For more information call (575) 313-7997 or email RepublicanPartyGC@gmail.com .