Judge Karen Gallagher spoke to the Stryker Rotary Club at its regular meeting. She serves as Judge of the Common Pleas Court in Bryan.
Judge Gallagher oversees the Juvenile and Probate divisions, which includes estates, guardianships, adoptions, juvenile abuse, neglect and dependency cases and juvenile delinquency cases.
She was elected to this position in 2020, starting on the bench during the global pandemic. The isolation required during the pandemic created an opportunity to be more proactive on social issues the court addresses.
She developed relationships with school districts to adopt proactive approaches that included mediation with families and students at the schools. She was happy to report that truancy incidents have declined with only two incidents in the county during this school year.
Accountability is required in all circumstances and Judge Gallagher is currently working with 25 sites in the county where the children are assigned community service.
She has found this approach to be effective as it teaches students there are consequences for their actions along with some skill development.
Judge Gallagher has also assigned guardianships to 68 people who require assistance with the decisions required for daily life.
The judge is passionate about the responsibilities of her position and was clear to tell the club that each community has a team of individuals who are working closely with the court to assist with the improvements needed for each of the individuals involved.
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