THE JUDGE WHO METES COMFORT
Wielding puppets in court, CharlesB. Schudson '72 gives abusedchildren understanding withjustice.
THERE WERE PROBABLY A HUNDRED other places where Alexander, a six-year-old boy, wanted to be on a September day six years ago. Instead of playing ball with his two younger brothers, Alexander was asked to testify in court on their behalf, in a case that accused their baby-sitter of sexually assaulting them. With the sitter several feet away, and an armed bailiff at his side, it was not surprising that Alexander froze on the stand.
But then something out of the ordinary happened. The judge asked Alexander if he would feel more comfortable sitting on his father's lap. Alexander said he would like that, and his father complied. Using two anatomically correct dolls, Alexander went on to describe in detail what he had watched the baby-sitter do to his brothers. The testimony helped convict the sitter of sexual assault. The judge who presided over that trial was Charles B. Schudson, appointed to the Wisconsin Circuit Court in 1982. Schudson's unconventional ideas about making the legal system friendlier to children have emanated far beyond his Milwaukee courtroom. He has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been asked to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court. And perhaps most significant of all, he has taught his trailblazing methods to judges, lawyers, therapists, and law-enforcement officials at conferences in 40 states. Those teachings are now detailed in a book he recently co-authored with Billie Wright Dziech, On Trial: America'sCourts and Their Treatment of Sexually AbusedChildren (Beacon Press).
Jeffrey Kuhn, a director at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, is one of a number of legal experts who believe that Schudson is a pioneer in sexual-abuse law. "His level of advocacy and his belief in protecting children have had a profound effect on everyone who works with children in the system," Kuhn says. "It's his religion."
His family's philosophy of life helped lead Schudson from Wisconsin to Hanover in the fall of 1968. "Dartmouth immediately appealed to me and I know this sounds corny because of its theme of a voice crying out in the wilderness," he says. "It's a set of values I grew up with: great respect for the non-conformist, the individual, the scholar, the person who is interested in coming up with fresh approaches." It is this same philosophy that makes him reluctantly leave his wife and two sons to fly to meetings with other judges around the country, trying to get them to take a fresh look at how they handle the young children brought into their courtrooms.
A former editor-in-chief of The Daily Dartmouth, Jack Steinberg is a reporter for The NewYork Times.
Chuck Schudson showsfellow judges that puppetsare less scary than gavels.
"Most Westernpsychotherapydoes not takepeople to lookat the deeperquestions ofhuman values,nor does it havethe tools to trainthe heart inmindfulness,loving-kindness,and compassionthat the Easterndisciplines do
