Wayne County Candidate Nick Hathaway on Why He Wants Your Vote for Circuit Court Judge
Wayne County judicial candidate Nick Hathaway discusses his almost eleven years as a Family Division referee, problems he has seen in the juvenile justice system, and why he is running for Circuit Court judge.
About This Episode
For the last eleven years, Nick Hathaway has been a Referee in Wayne County Circuit Court’s Family Division, dealing with cases of serious child abuse and neglect, as well as juvenile criminal matters. Currently, he’s running as a judicial candidate for the Wayne County Third Circuit Court, targeting one of two vacant seats. In this episode of Open Mike, Nick recounts his career history, describes the type of judge he aims to be, and details his vision to positively impact the community.
Show Notes
- Introducing Nick Hathaway!
- Nick, you’re running for Third Circuit Judge — why do you want to be judge?
- Nick’s background
- For our listeners and viewers who don’t know what a referee is vs. a judge, could you please explain?
- Your wife Dana is a sitting Wayne County Circuit Court Judge…you have many other family members who are sitting judges, the Hathaway name is well-known here in Michigan. Is that another reason you want to do this, to be part of the family?
- How many seats are open in Wayne County right now?
- Where did you go to law school?
- Was becoming a judge always a dream of yours?
- What are some of the biggest problems you’re experiencing now, dealing with the family division and child protective matters in Wayne County?
- Nick discusses the last ten years of juvenile delinquency, criminalization of juvenile issues that would formerly be handled within the community and the cycle of poverty and substance abuse.
- We incarcerate too many people in this country… over the last thirty years, crime rates have been steadily declining, yet our rates of incarceration have increased.
- There are four people running for two seats in Wayne County… why do you think should the voters pick you?
- Nick is committed to service, wants to do the job correctly, has been making judicial decisions in Michigan’s busiest court for the last eleven years, and has a wealth of support to draw upon.
- If you’re listening to this, make sure to vote on November 3rd!
- Thanks to our guest, Nick Hathaway!
- Thank you for watching and listening to Open Mike!
FAQs
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What is the difference between a referee and a judge in Wayne County?
Nick Hathaway explained that referees provide recommendations to judges. Like judges, they write court orders, but a referee’s order goes to a judge for review and becomes a court order once the judge signs it. Referees also do not handle jury trials. In Wayne County, referees are appointed by the chief judge of the Third Circuit Court; he was appointed in 2009.
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What problems has Nick Hathaway seen in the juvenile justice system?
Hathaway said he had a front-row seat to the “school-to-prison pipeline,” with juveniles charged with crimes for things that 10, 20 or 30 years ago would not have been criminalized and would have been addressed in the community, at home or in schools. He said we are not doing young people a favor by saddling them with criminal records for things that could be addressed in other ways.
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Why is Nick Hathaway running for Wayne County Third Circuit Court judge?
Hathaway said his almost 11 years as a Family Division referee have given him great experience in judicial decision-making, and that we need judges who are compassionate, fair and genuinely interested in making common-sense changes to how the justice system works, which he said he is committed to.
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How large a share of Michigan's child protection cases does Wayne County handle?
According to Hathaway, the Wayne County Family Division handles 40% of the child protection cases in the entire state of Michigan, along with a large percentage of the state’s juvenile delinquency cases.
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