Judges and Judiciary
Jul. 31, 2002
Once a Player, Now She's a Referee
SAN JOSE - For 10 years, Sharon Chatman was head coach of the women's basketball team at San Jose State University. Today, after a mid-life career change and a decade as a prosecutor in the Santa Clara County district attorney's office, Chatman is in charge of a different court.
Sharon Chatman
Judge
Santa Clara County Superior Court
Appointed by Gov. Davis, June 15, 2000
Career highlights: Santa Clara County Superior Court judge, 2000-present; Santa Clara County deputy district attorney, 1989-2000
Law School: Hastings College of the Law, 1989
Age: 53
Today, after a mid-life career change and a decade as a prosecutor in the Santa Clara County district attorney's office, Chatman is in charge of a different court.
Appointed two years ago by Gov. Gray Davis, Chatman was recently placed in charge of the domestic violence court. She is determined to do everything she can to make it work as effectively as possible.
Chatman said she always was interested in the law, even before deciding on a career as an attorney, but never had been much interested in serving on the bench. "I always thought of judges as the referees, and I wanted to be in the game," she said.
Eventually, however, Chatman decided she could do more as a judge, and she said she is quite pleased with her current assignment, even though it's one she never asked for.
"These are difficult assignments, but this is the best thing that could have happened to me," Chatman said.
Her methods can be unorthodox, and occasionally prosecutors are rankled by what one described as her judicial activism.
For example, she grew frustrated last year when defendants convicted of domestic violence were not getting counseling referrals fast enough. So for a couple of weeks, the judge started doing it herself.
"Since I did have this strict rule about compliance, I started making referrals from the bench," Chatman said.
She later acknowledged that it took too much time and has since worked out an arrangement with the Probation Department so the court gets a list of referrals beforehand.
Chatman shows arraigned domestic violence suspects a video presentation, including clips of children speaking about the effect such violence has on them. She quizzes defendants who have been convicted about what they have learned in counseling classes.
"I want to use the courtroom as a learning environment," Chatman said, noting that the video clips recently brought two defendants, who are fathers, to tears.
Admirers praise Chatman for her hard work and say she brings a personal touch to what is usually a very crowded calendar. "Sharon is wonderful," said Santa Clara County prosecutor Rolanda Pierre-Dixon. "She really talks to people, one on one."
This willingness to probe comes as a surprise to some domestic violence defendants who don't expect to be asked what they have learned. "You can see the shock on their faces," Pierre-Dixon said.
Santa Clara prosecutor Julia Alloggiamento said Chatman is "serious in talking with offenders about what happens if you don't follow through with classes. She lectures the defendants a little bit."
Chatman believes the required domestic violence classes can be effective, and she wants to do everything within her power to ensure that the violent behavior is addressed during the offenders' periodic reviews. Repeat offenders often tell her they had forgotten the techniques they learned to control their anger.
"If [the behavior] is learned, it can be unlearned," she said. "It's important to make the defendant accountable."
Chatman has thrown a few people in jail for failing to sign up for the classes, a requirement she said had been ignored by many convicted defendants in the past. "The law requires us to monitor, so I get a progress report and have a dialogue with them about how they're doing in class," she said.
Born in Galveston, Texas, Chatman grew up in Bakersfield in an athletic family. After college, she worked as a teacher and coached volleyball and basketball, culminating in her 10-year tenure as San Jose State's coach.
In 1986, while in her mid-30s, Chatman decided she wanted a change and went to Hastings College of the Law.
"I've always been interested in the law, even as a kid," she said.
She earned her degree three years later, and accepted a job at the Santa Clara County district attorney's office.
She handled a variety of assignments there, including drug court and gang cases. She could be a zealous advocate, and one legal adversary - Deputy Public Defender Bernardo Saucedo - recalls "loud shouting matches" with her during a few of their courtroom battles.
"She's got a very strong voice, and will let you know," Saucedo said.
But Saucedo is a fan, describing Chatman as someone who zealously protected public safety but was willing to try different approaches.
While in drug court, Chatman pushed for a program to keep mothers with their young children. That meant, in some cases, keeping a pregnant woman in jail until she gave birth, but then releasing her so the family could have a chance to remain intact.
"She is a strong advocate for women and children and is not afraid to think outside the box," Saucedo said.
Once appointed to the bench, Chatman handled misdemeanor assignments until she drew the domestic violence calendar a year ago. She had a little experience handling such cases as a prosecutor early in her legal career but hadn't asked for the job.
"Domestic violence is not like any other crime, because the victim of abuse wants to be reunited," Chatman said. "I see that every single day."
Chatman has attempted a variety of strategies to deal with that problem, only to discard several that didn't work. For example, she wanted women who secured protective orders and then wanted modifications allowing "peaceful" contact to get counseling before she would agree to modify the initial order.
But she dropped that idea after hearing objections that it placed too much of a burden on victims. "I changed my mind," Chatman said. "There are many complex reasons why victims stay in a relationship."
Saucedo praises her willingness to change her mind. "She's not afraid to say, 'We tried this and that didn't work,'" he said.
Alloggiamento said the judge takes domestic violence very seriously. "She works very hard, and works her attorneys very hard," she said.
Chatman often spends her lunch hour in conference with attorneys, and her court frequently runs past 5 p.m. Meetings are held at lunch or after hours during trials so jurors do not have to wait, Alloggiamento said.
"She does not like to keep jurors waiting," Alloggiamento said.
A self-described lifelong Democrat, Chatman commutes each day from Albany - a trip that can take hours.
Chatman said she thoroughly enjoys her job. "It is so much fun to do," she said. "I have something to look forward to every single day.
"There are not many jobs where you have an opportunity to touch so many lives."
Recent cases handled by Chatman and the attorneys involved:
People v. Tran, CC234746
Prosecution: Deputy District Attorney Steve Dick
Defense: Deputy Public Defender Miguel Rodriguez
People v. Arechiga, CC241570
Prosecution: Deputy District Attorney Judy Lee
Defense: Deputy Public Defender Eric Geffon
People v. McGrath, CC100789
Prosecution: Deputy District Attorney Julia Alloggiamento
Defense: Wesley Shroeder, Miller & Associates, San Jose
People v. Hlebo, CC076057
Prosecution: Deputy District Attorney Julia Alloggiamento
Defense: Maureen Baldwin, San Jose
People v. Delgado, CC085170
Prosecution: Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Lantz
Defense: Deputy Public Defender Chris Givens
Craiq Anderson
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