photo by steed media service

Of the 300 judges in the state of Michigan, 100 are African American. In light of that fact, the Honorable Judge Vonda Evans takes her unique position very seriously.

“I have enjoyed it tremendously — being able to serve the community and being able to disperse justice and fairness,” Judge Evan says of her 11 years of service. “I love being able to make a difference in the lives of the people that come before me. I do a lot of serious cases such as murder, rape, [and] robbery; crimes that have victims. And what these people; the defendants, the families, [and] the victim’s families [want] is — they’re looking for closure.”

In a country where justice is often found to be anything but blind, Judge Evans takes great satisfaction in the service she’s able to contribute through the justice system. “It’s rewarding when you have an opportunity to impact someone’s life,” she says. “As a judge, my philosophy has always been to know the difference between a crime and a mistake.”

“So many times the people that come before me are hurting,” she continues. “They’re in pain, and they want to know why [this has happened]. And what I have to tell them is that in life there are some questions that will never be answered, but what we have to do is accept what has happened, move on and learn from it. It’s a big responsibility and it’s definitely demanding, but it’s very rewarding.” –janaya black

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