“Judge Edna Staudt made a great impact on my life by introducing me to the American justice system and allowing me to play an active role in it through the Williamson County YMCA Teen Court program.

 

“I was a high school student at the time and had no experience with law enforcement or the court system outside of mock trials in which I had participated.  Judge Staudt helped train me and a large number of other young people in what it means to sit on a jury, to interview a defendant as their attorney, and to even serve as the presiding judge in sentencing of juvenile defendants who have plead guilty or no-contendere to real Class C misdemeanors.

 

“However, the most important aspect of this program for me was when Judge Staudt invited members of law enforcement to speak to us about their responsibilities to the community and the impact their experiences have had on them.  I’ll never forget hearing a Williamson County Sheriff’s deputy talk about the challenges he’d faced as an officer of the law and how important it became for him to learn communication skills… skills that would de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation into a non-violent resolution without harm to either party, allowing the officer to return safely home to his family at night.

 

“Judge Staudt helped shape me into a better citizen. She has a passion for upholding the law and ensuring future generations are equipped to do the same.” Daniel Monroe, Former Student Volunteer 

Daniel Monroe
Former Student Attorney, Presiding Judge