As he celebrates his 70th birthday, 36th Circuit Court Judge Michael Pritchett, after hanging up his robe and laying down his gavel, will then contemplate how to spend his retirement.
He has spent the past 13 years handing down decisions, always after many hours of careful research and preparation for each case; however, ironically the decision to leave the bench at this time was not his own.
The judge would have continued working but for Article V, section 26 of the Missouri Constitution, which mandates that all judges (other than municipal judges), must retire at age 70.
“I can understand why the statute was adopted years ago, although I’m not sure its application is the same now. Fortunately, people who are 70 are healthier than they were back then. But, at the same time, I think it is appropriate that there be a cut-off point,” says Judge Pritchett.
Taking it all in stride, he jokes, “I turn 70 on Nov. 17, but I am thinking that at midnight on the 16th I might just turn into...something.”
The “something” he will turn into is still to be decided. He may become a world traveler with his wife, Nell, by his side, or perhaps he will return to his first career: before he went into law, the judge both composed worship music for string and brass quartets and taught school for two years (Ash Grove, Mo.) He also played French Horn in college orchestras and the Springfield Symphony.
The judge graduated from Drury University in Springfield in 1976 with a degree in music education.
He muses, “Retirement may be an opportunity for me to do some things with music that I have wanted to do. I’ve got instruments that I haven’t had time to play.”
The judge has found the legal profession to be challenging, but fulfilling. Certainly, his wife of 46 years, his three daughters and eight grandchildren will love having him home more, he admits.
He and his wife, Nell, met while they were both attending college. Her father, Frank Hearne, was an attorney with a practice in Poplar Bluff, and she wanted to come back home.
The legal profession had always intrigued the young music teacher, and ultimately “lady law” enticed him to return to school to make a career change.
More than four decades have since passed, and he says of his choice, “It has really turned out well.”
He says, “I ran for office (Presiding Judge of the 36th Circuit) in 2010, after being an attorney in Poplar Bluff for 30 years. At one time I was Poplar Bluff city attorney, and in the late 80s I was an assistant prosecutor in Butler County. Then for the next 20 years I was in private practice, handling civil cases and doing criminal defense.”
Now that this particular chapter of his life is closing, Judge Pritchett doesn’t deny that he will miss being a circuit court judge, and he doesn’t want to divorce himself from law, altogether.
“One good thing is I can stay on and do jury trials, as senior judge. That is something I would like to do. I love the preparation that goes into a jury trial, and also the challenge. I had the opportunity to preside over 100 jury trials,” he says.
“But I also want to slow down some, too,” he admits.
Looking back over the highs and lows of his profession, the judge reflects, “I’ve tried to maintain an even keel throughout all of it, because you have bad days and better days.
“You’ve got to be consistent and treat everyone who is in front of you with the same consideration, regardless of whether that day has been a good or bad one,” he says.
Also, he had to take emotion out of the equation.
“I always felt that if I had any type of emotional involvement in a case, I should not hear it. As a judge you have to remain neutral,” he says.
He doesn’t underestimate the power that his office wields, and candidly admits that judges, like everyone else, “sometimes get it wrong.”
But, at the end of the day, he says, “I always wanted to know that, whatever decision I’d made, even if it was wrong, I never wanted to be in a position where I had failed to take the time to research adequately. In private practice or as a judge, it was always important to me that I had done the best I could, and that I had prepared the best I could,” he says.
Judge Pritchett also says it is important to have a good team, and he considers himself blessed in that regard.
“Ruth Austin, who is the circuit clerk now, and Sharon who was before her...everybody in that office is excellent. I don’t think they get enough credit for what they do, and without them I don’t know what I would do,” says the judge.
He goes on to say, “You’ve also got a good prosecutor [Matt Michel]and a good judge [Devin Kirby].”
In addition to that, the judge also expressed his appreciation to the public, the willingness of the people of Ripley, Butler and Carter counties to serve jury duty.
“I have always been impressed with the citizens and the way they answer the call to come for jury service. They show up without making excuses. That’s something to be proud of. There are counties in the state where that doesn’t happen,” says Judge Pritchett.
When asked what have been the highlights of his career as a judge, he says, “I had some really good things happen. I got to serve on the Missouri Supreme Court for four cases several years ago. That was exciting,” he recalls.
He also has been a recipient of the Theodore McMillian award for judicial excellence.
However, he says his most rewarding experiences have been the success stories he has seen through drug court.
“We had a graduation for one of the drug court participants on my last big day in drug court. Several of the graduates came back who are doing really well. That was a great moment,” says the judge.
He shares this message to people in recovery: ‘Your goal should not just be to make life better for yourself and your family, but you are uniquely qualified to help someone else who is going through the same thing.’
Asked what he would want his legacy to be, Judge Pritchett says, “I really don’t think I am important enough to have a legacy. I have loved what I do and it hasn’t really seemed like a job. I have just wanted to do the right thing for the right reasons, based on the law and the facts. That’s really it.”