Good judges can try civil, criminal cases

     To the editor:
      In regard to your Feb. 17 editorial "Judicial specialization":
      I am one of the judges who opposes, at least at this time, specialization between civil and criminal matters. I suggested a committee contact other jurisdictions and obtain and review studies already conducted as to the benefits, if any, to be gained by specialization before we leap into the massive disruptions caused by even a one-year pilot program.
      I come from a background of 22 years as a lawyer with a practice almost equally divided between civil and criminal cases. I see nothing obvious about the alleged benefits from specialization.
      Your editorial says having judges hear both civil and criminal cases "seems ineffective and disorderly." This seeming appearance, in my opinion, does not coincide with reality. We currently hear three weeks of criminal trials followed by three weeks of civil trials. This keeps us fresh, where hearing years of highly similar cases might cause some degree of impatience or inattentiveness -- highly undesirable characteristics in a judge.
      It is a misconception that either area of law is so complex or different from the other that specialization is either necessary or desirable. In both civil or criminal matters there are occasionally very complex matters. These matters are not typically resolved by prior knowledge, but by careful reading of pleadings and case-law at the time the complex issue arises.
      A good judge can try either kind of case well; a bad judge can try neither well. We have nothing to gain by leaping without careful study into the huge calendaring changes required by even a one-year pilot program. If current thoughtful studies or contacts with other states show that I am empirically wrong and the provable public benefits of specialization outweigh the foreseeable problems, I would favor the change at that time.
     JEFFREY D. SOBEL
     District Court Judge
     Las VegasIt is a misconception that either area of law is so complex or different from the other that specialization is either necessary or desirable.