I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. I learned a lot and liked seeing all the facets of being a judge. Information was laid out well and interesting; the writing kept it readable and easy to follow.

The narration was fantastic, the author being the narrator was the perfect choice. I highly recommend this to non-fiction readers, those interested in the US legal system, or anyone interested in reading about a strong African American woman.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Amazing read, learned a lot from this book, would love to buy, will recommend

I really enjoyed this book. I absolutely adore that it was the judge that narrated it as well. I learned a lot of things about the legal system that I had not known before— I didn’t realize how complex it was or what the role of a judge really was!!! The narrator/author did a really good job writing this book so that all audiences could understand it (eliminating legal jargon) while inserting fascinating stories to back up her own viewpoints.

I appreciated the insights into so many different facets and aspects of being a judge. There was so much I didn’t know or realize. However, it unfortunately was just too negative for me to really enjoy. The justice system is absolutely broken in many ways, and I liked how this was acknowledged and also things to fix were mentioned but still. It was a bit overwhelming. And disheartening. One thing that really made me think was how she mentioned what the judge on the Stanford swimmer rape went through and having recently read that story from the victims side was fascinating.

While I’m always interested in the justice system, I often find non-fiction books about the topic to be dry, too technical, or just plain confusing.

But not Judge Cordell’s book which has a perfect balance of example based stories and explanation of legal issues without the legalese that can be confusing to those outside the justice system.

Her detailed antidotes about her life on the bench were compelling and troubling, drawing me in, and forcing me to see that our legal system needs work across ALL divisions.

I spent most of my time listening to this book, which is narrated by Judge Cordell, and I couldn’t pause it. I finished it in one day while ignoring life around me.

"Her Honor" is a highly readable or listenable mix of memoir and commentary on the justice system primarily in California state trial courts- but many concepts and experiences can easily be transferred.
The book is taking readers behind the scenes, where judges wrestle with plea bargains, sentencing hearings and jury selections. It was fascinating to me being a judge myself to compare systems and experiences. I have worked in criminal, mental health, traffic and commercial court, so quite a few of the courts mentioned, but not in California and I have studied law in California so when I first heard about the book I was already intrigued. But - and this is exceptional about this book - Judge Cordell who must have an exceptional amount of legal writing under her belt after a career in academia, legal practice and as a judge writes in a highly accessible way readable for anyone and everyone. Concepts are illustrated with anecdotes and clear language is used. Judge Cordell really peels back the curtain and provides vivid and clear examples showing a justice system with flaws and in need of reforms while illustrating it‘s inner workings.

I highly recommend the audio for this book which is narrated wonderfully by the author herself which I love for memoir.

Fantastic book and great on audio (read by author)!

Cordell was the first female African American judge in Northern California, but frankly, that has nothing to do with why this was a good book. Cordell takes us through her time on the bench — each chapter covering a segment of her career, including in-depth case analysis with relevant case law and background, as well as insight into how she made her decisions. She often illustrated the difference in law and policies across states which I found both fascinating and surprising. The book covers her time in criminal, marriage and family, and juvenile courts as well as her experiences with plea bargaining, hot button issues such as DUIs, the three strikes law, judicial misconduct, and the whole process of appointing or electing judges (beyond fascinating and completely new information to me).

The concluding chapter lists a set of ten “broken” aspects of our judicial system and her recommendations for fixes. By then we are familiar with those opinions as they had come up in situ during the varied experiences, so it was easy to follow. I can’t stress enough how clearly she described the mandatory vs discretionary parts of a judge’s position. One very interesting (to me) story was about the recall of Judge Persky, who had given a too-short sentence (as perceived by the public) to the Stanford swimmer convicted of sexual assault on an unconscious girl. Despite the fact that the judge had only followed the sentencing guidelines and had done absolutely nothing wrong (no accusation of malfeasance), he was booted off the bench in an effort led by two Stanford law professors (who really should have known better). CA changed the law that allowed judge recall to require some kind of malfeasance as a result of that case. Personally, my opinion of Stanford law professors took a nosedive. I hate anything that puts politics and / or popular sentiment above the law.

This book was about what Judge Cordell thought and did and had little or no discussion of how being black impacted her career; however, she was very explicit about the races of people involved in certain cases (if relevant) and provided a lot of information about race and bias in the courtroom, including studies and statistics of the variability of convictions, sentencing, and plea bargains based on race. She did a superb job of describing principles, problems, solutions, and what stands in the way without resorting to inane, politically correct memes with nothing of substance behind them.

I loved it.

This book provides real insight into what goes on inside a courtroom as viewed from the bench. Judge Cordell dispenses justice while maintaining compassion for both the victims and the accused. Her cases were fascinating, but what I really appreciated was her commitment to making the justice system fair for everyone. The case stories are frequently sad and sometimes shocking. Many of the accused are seasoned veterans of the legal justice system, accumulating long criminal histories, which eventually lands them in jail serving a life sentence. The final chapter is a list of the problems that she has seen throughout her career, followed by her suggestions to address them. My personal favorite is that judges should not be elected. I listened to the audio book, and I really enjoyed listening to the author as the narrator. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest review.

An extremely fascinating account of Judge Cordell's years on the bench. Being able to learn all the ins and outs of the court system was very interesting. This audiobook was read by the author, making it that much more intriguing. Hope her recommended changes to the judicial system will be noticed by the people who are able to make those changes in the legal system. Thank you for the ARC of this audiobook. #NetGalley, #HerHonor, #McMillanAudio

Judge Cordell was the first Black woman appointed to the Superior Court in Northern CA. This is her story of her life on the bench in various courts. She shines light on what is broken and gives concrete examples of how they could be fixed.

Her stories explain her thought process throughout various types of cases. Her hands were often tied when it came to sentencing, and she had to make decisions based purely on the sentencing requirements when she knew they were not what were fair or just for the defendant.

I enjoyed getting a view of the courtroom from the judge’s bench as it’s not something I’ve read before.

The audio was narrated by the author, which I always enjoy with memoirs.
Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

In 1982, Governor Jerry Brown named LaDoris Hazzard Cordell to be a judge on the Municipal Bench. Cordell remembers her first ever case. It was a small claims case and the participants were both African American women as was she. The case concerned a claim of nonpayment for service by the plaintiff and the defendant claimed that the service, braids, was done sloppily and didn't deserve payment. Judge Cordell had the women come forward and she checked the integrity of the braids herself. Finding them lacking, she awarded the plaintiff a reduced amount and both women left satisfied.

In 1988, Judge Cordell won election to the Superior Court and served there until 2001, rotating through a variety of assignments. She discusses such topics as juvenile cases, marriage, divorce, custody, adoption and name changes. She discusses juries and their decisions, The judicial election process is discussed along with judicial misconduct and disagreements with rulings, which sometimes rise to the level of attempts to recall judges. She discusses her time with rulings on mental cases, usually middle-aged women petitioning against involuntary confinement, or being forced into shock treatments or drugs with massive side effects. Cordell talks about the three strike rule, it's disportionate effect on minority defendants and the whole plea bargain process which allows the courts to get through their huge caseload but often means innocent people plead guilty. Cordell ends the book with suggestions on how the judicial system can be reformed.

I listened to this book and the narrator was Cordell herself. Her voice was the voice one would think of as a judge's; dispassionate, calm and logical. One of Cordell's main points was the effect that her appointment as a minority woman had on the defendants who were amazed to see her there and given hope that someone like them was overseeing the process. The cases she uses throughout are fascinating and the reader will gain more understanding of the judicial process than they had starting out. This book is recommended for nonfiction readers, those interested in legal procedures and those interested in the story of a strong African American woman.

One of the most digestible books I have read on legal issues in recent years. I am an attorney and I felt that The Hon. LaDoris Hazzard Cordell wrote about issues plaguing the criminal justice system in a way that was easy to follow for the layperson. As a black female, Judge Cordell was faced with unique challenges in a field of work that has been dominated by white males for many years. I really enjoyed her honesty and ability to admit when she made a mistake or when the system failed to provide her with an option to do the right thing. Too often people, and especially attorneys, are not willing to be vulnerable and share how they grew through a process that only contributes to dishonesty that is deeply rooted in the legal field and perpetuates broken systems.

Judge Cordell explains that judges need to be able to understand the issues that are presented to them and they are not always provided with the tools to do so. Further, there are some instances where a certain judge will never be the right fit to hear a matter (think uniquely black issues being presented to a white judge). Judge Cordell has a very proactive, creative, and effective approach to fixing the issues surrounding mental illness, family court issues, child custody, and creative sentencing. It was refreshing to hear that she was willing to go against the grain in order to do what she felt was right.