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Open Ninth

Conversations Beyond the Courtroom.

Labor Day Special: Before They Were Judges

Think back to your first few jobs. Did you babysit the neighbors’ rambunctious kids who, now that you are thinking about it, weren’t too much younger than you were at the time? Or were you one of the legions of high school students working retail at the local mall? Perhaps you waited tables or worked the line as a short order cook or tended bar? Whatever you were doing, we’ll venture a guess that the job you did then has absolutely nothing to do with the job you are doing now. Or does it?

In celebration of Labor Day, 10 Judges from the Ninth Circuit talk candidly with our host, Chief Judge Fred Lauten, about their first jobs. From paperboy to waitress to organist – not one of our judges can draw a straight line from where they started to their jobs today in the judiciary. And despite that, those first jobs were decidedly instrumental in shaping who they became both on and off the bench. Grab your headphones and listen in.


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Open Ninth
Episode 56

Conversations Beyond the Courtroom.

Run time 37:40

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In this episode

Judge Fred Lauten served in the Ninth Circuit from 1994 to 2019. Between 2015 and 2019, he served as Chief Judge of the circuit.
Frederick J. Lauten

Former Chief Judge and Moderator

Judge Fred Lauten served in the Ninth Circuit from 1994 to 2019. Between 2015 and 2019, he served as Chief Judge of the Circuit.

Orange County Judge Faye L. Allen
Faye L. Allen

Orange County Judge

Judge Allen has served as an Orange County Judge since 2005. She currently serves in the County Criminal Division in Orange County.

Circuit Judge Alice Blackwell
Alice L. Blackwell

Circuit Court Judge

Judge Blackwell has served as a Circuit Judge since 1991. She retires in June of 2023 after 32 years of service on the bench.

Senior Judge Patricia A. Doherty
Patricia A. Doherty

Senior Judge

Judge Doherty has served as a Circuit Judge since 2010. She currently serves as the Associate Administrative Judge in the Juvenile Division.

Orange County Judge Eric H. DuBois
Eric H. DuBois

Orange County Judge

Judge DuBois has served as an Orange County Judge since 2017. He currently serves in the County Civil Division in Orange County.

Circuit Judge Robert J. Egan
Robert J. Egan

Circuit Court Judge

Judge Egan has served as a Circuit Judge since 2008. He currently serves in Associate Administrative Judge for Osceola County Circuit & County Courts

Senior Judge John Marshall Kest
John Marshall Kest

Senior Judge

Judge John Marshall Kest as served as a Circuit Judge since 2003. He currently serves in the Circuit Criminal Division in Orange County.

Circuit Judge Bob LeBlanc
Bob LeBlanc

Circuit Court Judge

Judge LeBlanc joined the Ninth Circuit in 2007 in the Orange County criminal division. After 15 years of service, he retires in July 2022.

Circuit Judge Heather Pinder Rodriguez
Heather Pinder Rodriguez

Circuit Judge

Judge Pinder Rodriguez has served as a Circuit Judge since 2012. She currently serves as the Administrative Judge, Domestic Relations.

Circuit Judge Diana M. Tennis
Diana M. Tennis

Circuit Judge

Judge Tennis has served as a Circuit Judge since 2015. She currently serves in the Domestic Relations Division in Orange County.