In November 2008, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Kay Kuns to fill a judgeship vacated by retiring Santa Maria Judge Rodney Melville. In a recent interview with the Sun, Kuns said the appointment came as a bit of a surprise.
“I put in an application several years ago and didn’t think much else about it,” Kuns said. “I didn’t realize I was being considered until I was called to come up and interview.”
So last July, Kuns and her twin 20-year-old daughters, Michelle and Maryann, drove up to Sacramento, where Kuns met with the governor’s judicial appointments secretary. After the interview, the three spent the day together shopping and having lunch.
“Having them with me for support made the trip very special,” Kuns recalled.
Several months and one gubernatorial appointment later, Kuns had both daughters with her again at her official “enrobing ceremony” at the Veterans Memorial Building in Solvang. During the ceremony, the twins had the honor of helping their mother into her ceremonial robes.
Since the event on Jan. 6, Kuns has shadowed some of the county’s other judges and transitioned into her position at the Lompoc division, where she will hear all criminal cases and the day-to-day
court calendars.
While she just started behind the bench in Lompoc, Kuns is no stranger to its courtrooms. She’s been running her own private practice in Solvang since 1980. As an attorney, she argued civil and criminal cases throughout the county court system, including Lompoc.
“Quite a few of my cases have gone through the Lompoc Court, so the comfort level going into the position was wonderful,” she said. “It’s made the transition much easier to know all the players, all the different people in the court.”
Referring to herself as a “hands-on kind of person,” Kuns said she spent just as much time arguing cases in the courtroom as she did researching them in the field.
“I’d dress up for court, but as soon as I hit the valley I’d be in blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a T-shirt,” she said, adding that she’s done everything from riding on top of elevators to crawling under houses with experts to get the information needed to properly argue a case.
“I found [private practice] to be a very enriching experience,” she said. “The variety of cases made the practice very exciting and never dull.”
Such determination and focus are just a few of the qualities Kuns brings to the bench, said fellow Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge
George Eskin.
“Kay’s going to make some major contributions to the courtroom,” said Eskin, who also spoke at Kuns’ enrobing ceremony. “No. 1 is common sense: She’s streetwise, and she’s got good judgment.
“She listens attentively. She doesn’t prejudge people or issues,” he added. “She wants to hear everything and make a just decision.”
Eskin first met Kuns in 1976 while working for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. A recent law school graduate, Kuns was one of 150 new attorneys hired by the city. Kuns served as a criminal prosecutor for three years—an experience she looks back on fondly.
“It was a wonderful place to receive a foundational sense of litigation,” Kuns said. “It instilled in me a strong sense of ethics.”
And, as everyone knows, strong ethics are an important prerequisite for being a judge.
Still, Kuns said, “it’s important the public realize that whoever is sitting behind the bench is a real person.”
Kuns relays this message by playing an active role in her community. For 17 years, she was the legal coach for the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School mock trial team. She’s also involved with People to People International, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to forging peaceful and understanding relationships. And while she’ll be commuting to Lompoc, Kuns said the drive won’t stop her from getting involved with locals.
“I want to be present in the community,” she said. “I want to get to know the community, so I can better understand it as a judge.
“As a judge, you are affecting the interests of people,” she explained. “You’re making decisions that deal with a person’s liberty and finances. You have to be compassionate and understanding, and, at the same time, detached and unbiased enough to render a verdict that is both just and proper.” m
Contact Staff Writer Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 5, 2009.