This morning i woke to the news of the death of a friend...the down side to having left my former legal community is that i am so out of the news loop...
Rest in peace Your Honour. Thank you for fighting so hard for the children; thank you for coming to Mom's Memorial Service at the Courthouse in 2007. Mom always loved being in your court and i'm sure the two of you are already doing a lot of catching up...
Judge overcame health problems, fought for children
By Meghan Cooke
Friday, May 06, 2011
A petite woman at only 4 feet, 11 inches, Mecklenburg District Judge Resa Harris walked into court for more than 20 years with a deliberate gait, a loud voice and - in later years - a cart carrying an oxygen tank.
Once, a child came into her courtroom and asked: "Are you a real judge?"
"Yes," Harris told him. "And you're in real trouble."
The retired judge known for her sense of humor and her dedication to helping children died unexpectedly Monday. She was 59.
Harris overcame severe childhood health problems to preside over juvenile and family courts - handling cases ranging from criminal misdemeanors to abused children and child custody battles. She also helped establish Mecklenburg County's domestic violence court.
During her work, she often listened to painful descriptions of physical and sexual abuse.
"Some judges burn out in juvenile court or domestic violence court," said David Cayer, a U.S. magistrate judge who worked with Harris in District Court. "It wears on them. That never seemed to happen with her. She never lost the enthusiasm."
The daughter of W.T. Harris, a founder of the Harris Teeter grocery chain, she was a native Charlottean and 1969 graduate of Independence High School. Harris attended Agnes Scott College in Georgia and then law school at Wake Forest University.
Harris was first appointed to the District Court bench in 1981 by Gov. Jim Hunt. She won election the next year, then was re-elected four times. She retired in 2002 after 21 years on the bench.
Harris then threw herself into volunteer work, serving on the boards of many organizations, including the Charlotte Community Health Clinic and the board of trustees at Wingate University. But she still returned to court occasionally as an emergency judge.
In 2002, Harris told the Observer the greatest rewards from her career came from helping families stay together.
"I really care about families; I love to help people," she said. I've been able to see positive changes in people's lives. When parents get their children back, that's a wonderful thing to see."
Tyrone Wade, the deputy county attorney assigned to Mecklenburg Department of Social Services, said he appeared before Harris many times over the years in child abuse and neglect cases.
Wade said she held each party accountable and worked to ensure children were returned to their parents only when they had made necessary changes.
"She said: 'Children are not yo-yos. They need to be put in a permanent home and they need to be safe,'" Wade recalled.
Her husband of 17 years, James Wilkins, said he believes her passion for helping children stemmed from her own childhood.
At the time of her birth, doctors didn't expect her to live more than two days. She was missing a lung and a number of ribs. By the time she was 11, she'd had nine back surgeries, Wilkins said.
Harris had a steel rod in her back, Wilkins said. But she was tough. She never complained.
"She was very strong and didn't let those things keep her from being assertive and getting out and doing the very best she could," he said.
Ten years ago, she started needing an oxygen tank.
Wilkins laughed as he recalled one attorney who came into his wife's court and told his client, "Don't let the oxygen fool you."
Harris' health problems prevented her from having children of her own, Wilkins said, but she treated her pets like they were kids, particularly her beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniels, which she sometimes brought into court with her.
Mecklenburg Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell said she recalled how Harris sent her a sympathy card when her cat died in 2002.
"She was one of the most caring judges," Bell said. "It was never superficial. She genuinely cared."
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...-problems.html