Court was in session.
As the ceremony ended and the crowd began to disperse, a young woman approached the bench. She was dressed in a simple suit, holding a stack of files. She looked nervous.
“Justice Vance?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“I… I just wanted to say…” She paused, blushing. “I was a paralegal for five years before law school. People told me I was wasting my time. But watching you… you’re my hero.”
I smiled. I looked at the young woman, seeing the fire in her eyes, the potential she held.
“Then you know the secret,” I whispered, leaning over the bench.
“What secret?”
“The people who file the paperwork are the ones who actually write the laws,” I said. “Never let them tell you you’re weak. Silence isn’t surrender. It’s just gathering evidence.”
She smiled, straightening her spine. “Thank you, Justice.”
“Now,” I said, picking up my gavel. “Go get ’em.”
If you want more stories like this, or if you’d like to share your thoughts about what you would have done in my situation, I’d love to hear from you. Your perspective helps these stories reach more people, so don’t be shy about commenting or sharing.
