A quarter century on the bench

It’s been 25 years since Tina Gordon was appointed Columbia Falls city judge, and she’s witness to important changes both in the law and in her community.

“I appreciate the confidence of the city council in re-appointing me every four years,” she said last week. “That really means something to me.”

Gordon’s family moved to the Flathead from Anchorage, Alaska, in 1950. Her father was in construction and moved the family around a lot, she said, but she regularly attended Columbia Falls schools after the sixth grade.

There were five other girls in the Fish family — Frankie, who’s retired and lives in Columbia Falls; Joli, who served as Columbia Falls mayor from 2006 through 2010; Jeani and Marie, who live in Cincinnati; and Sharee, who is a retired Navy commander.

Gordon has an associates degree from Flathead Valley Community College with an emphasis in interpersonal communication, and she completed the two-year Judicial Institute at the University of Montana Law School.

She also attended the Judicial College at the University of Nevada, along with about 50 state and 20 national schools for judges over her 25-year career. She represents Montana judges as a delegate to the National Judicial Association and attends their annual educational conferences.

Gordon worked for five years at KCFW in Kalispell as a “traffic director,” preparing the daily switching log and helping line up interviews.

“I met lots of movie stars, including Tom Cruise when he came out here to ski,” she recalled.

It was her interest in human rights while in school that prompted her to apply for the city judge position in Columbia Falls when the position opened in 1988. She was interviewed by the city council, police chief and city attorney and a judge from Kalispell.

“There were quite a few applicants,” she said. “I’m not sure why I was chosen, but I had a good educational background.”

Gordon passed a required state test, which she continues to take every four years. She is also required to attend week-long schools every fall and spring.

“We’re updated on any Supreme Court rulings that change things and any new general procedures,” she said. “Although some of it’s repetitive, there’s always something new.”

A lot has changed since 1988 when she used the bowling ball lockers in the former Anaconda Aluminum Co. employees club as filing cabinets.

“I didn’t have a clerk, and I often worked to midnight,” she said. “The caseload that first year increased fivefold over the previous year.”

Some laws have gotten stricter, and some have gone in the other direction, she noted. Today, a fourth DUI is a felony, but she recalled seeing people in city court with a ninth DUI. On the other hand, when a spouse filed for a restraining order in 1988, it was reciprocal. Today, it applies only to one spouse.

“City courts are courts of limited jurisprudence and don’t handle felonies,” she explained. “They’re called ‘courts of common sense’ because we don’t get into more complex legal analysis.”

Gordon noted that while she can reject some terms in a plea bargain, she can’t determine the actual charge — that’s up to the prosecutor. She can order a person to perform community service, attend counseling and pay restitution.

“Small town judges need to be careful,” she said. “The local community decides local mores.”

Letters from people over the years tell her she’s had a positive effect on the Columbia Falls community.

“People write telling me how I’ve changed their lives,” she said. “They’re few and far between, but it’s heartwarming to know that.”

A lot of disgruntled people show up at city court, and Gordon credits her clerks with calming them down and helping things run smoothly.

“These people are usually not mad at me — they’re mad at themselves for the trouble they got in,” she said.

As a longtime resident in a small town, Gordon sometimes finds herself looking over the bench at familiar faces. Sometimes she has to recuse herself and bring in another judge.

“A judge is always being judged,” she said.

Gordon sometimes counsels people on positive or negative directions in their lives, but when it comes to sentencing, she has to follow the letter of the law.

“I’m not winging it, I’m not allowed to do whatever I want,” she said. “I must follow the rules, the laws and the guidelines.”

Gordon says it’s been a good career despite the 24/7 schedule and occasional late-night warrants she signs. She says she’s in good health and has no plans to retire.

“If it gets to where I’m watching the clock, then it’ll be time to leave,” she said.