Kayla Jackson-Williams aims to be 'a voice in a space that matters' as Boone County judge
Boone County broke a barrier Friday with the swearing-in of Division 10 Judge Kayla Jackson-Williams.
Elected in November, she is the first Black judge for the county.
"Being a part of history is an unreal feeling," Jackson-Williams said following her election win in August clinching the nomination. She ran unopposed in November. She has been on the bench since Jan. 3, but the swearing-in event Friday made it official. Family, friends, community members and colleagues attended to cheer her on.
The quote, "People do not care what you know, it is that they know that you care," from Assistant Dean Emeritus Robert Bailey of the University of Missouri School of Law has stuck with Jackson-Williams her entire career.
That is much of how she has modeled her career first as a public defender, then in civil litigation with Rogers, Ehrhardt, Weber and Howard LLC, said Judge Josh Devine, who spoke prior to Jackson-Williams' swearing-in. He also shared a story about how she worked passionately for her clients.
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The quote from Bailey is one Jackson-Williams also would share with her students during her time teaching at the University of Missouri, while also working at Rogers, Ehrhardt, Weber and Howard.
"It is a quote I will continue to think of every time I walk into this building and every day I am on the bench," Jackson-Williams said, adding she sought the judgeship as a means to make a change. "I wanted our court to have another voice, a new voice and I wanted our court to think about other things outside of their world."
Before Devine was appointed as a judge in June 2020 by Gov. Mike Parson, he was a colleague of Jackson-Williams at Rogers, Ehrhardt, Weber and Howard.
In the weeks after the death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020, before George Floyd in May 2020 and the compounding nature of the shutdowns related to COVID-19, Devine noticed the energetic and bright nature of Jackson-Williams had become quiet.
"With the straightest of straight faces, I made the most honest comment: 'It is so hard being Black in your white space,'" she said, adding there were questions but no judgement for what was said. "He asked me, 'What do you mean?'
"I told him, 'When I leave this building, my world looks entirely different than your world when you leave this building.'"
The judge's bench also is a space not often occupied by a person like Jackson-Williams, which is what drove her to seek the judgeship.
"I wanted to have a voice in a space that mattered, but I wanted to have a voice in a way that would allow the community to know the court system is not here to defeat, but to help complete you in a way that you don't understand and to allow you all to let you know that we do care," Jackson-Williams said.
She is ready for the bring her lived experiences to the courtroom, while also following what is set out in the law, she added.
"I look forward to working with each and every one of you," Jackson-Williams said, directing her comment to her fellow judges. "We have an amazing circuit and I thank you all for your love and support and not being irritated with my constant questions."
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Kayla Jackson-Williams breaks barrier in swearing-in as judge
