Lydia Green

Lydia doesn't take her role as a Special Judge lightly. In fact, one thing she loves most about herself is her ability to serve individuals and families in their weakest hour to affect lives in a positive way.

What keeps you up at night?

I pray that I make the right decisions, and that I always serve the children and families that come before me justly and do what is in their best interest. I lose sleep thinking about the children who age out of DHS custody and lack familial support and resources along with those of whom are permanently in the system and without a forever home. Lastly, what keeps me up at night are the children who find themselves in real trouble with the law and how their sentencing will affect their futures.

Who is the biggest influence in your life? Why?

My parents are my biggest influence. They grounded me in faith, have been my biggest supporters and made me believe I could accomplish anything. They taught me what unconditional love looks like, the meaning of good work ethic and created structure and a foundation for my sister and I which enabled us to spread our wings and fly.

What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far?

As it pertains to my career, one of the biggest obstacles in my life I have had to face is not having access to resources. It is assumed that the Judge has "all power" in their hands...if only that were true! My job becomes really difficult when I am unable to assist children and families access the resources they need in order to become healthy, whole and to be reunified; it becomes even more of a challenge when trying to access mental health resources.

“I pray that I make the right decisions, and that I always serve the children and families that come before me justly and do what is in their best interest.”

One year from today, how do you hope you’re different?

Every day is an opportunity to learn something new. I hope a year from today I am more knowledgeable as it pertains to the law, much wiser when making decisions and that I have developed more patience.