As Good As His Word
The legendary Alex Calabrese is fast approaching retirement as the presiding judge at the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn. I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to honor the great professional debt that I owe to him. Over the years, I have taken I don’t know how many people to visit Alex’s courtroom. Sometimes it was a high-ranking government dignitary . Sometimes it was a foundation executive . Sometimes it was a reporter . And sometimes it was just a friend. But no matter what the circumstances – and no matter what kinds of cases were appearing in front of him – Alex always delivered. He made my job – explaining the nuances of criminal justice reform or procedural fairness or problem-solving justice – incredibly easy. His consistency was breathtaking. Every time I ever saw him in the courtroom, he managed to focus his attention on the people appearing before him and to truly reckon with their complicated humanity. He always conveyed thoughtfuln
