Careers of Distinction 2014: Stephany Joy of Sonoma Co. Superior Court (Ret.)

Since 1993, the Sonoma County Bar Association has honored members of the legal profession with its Careers of Distinction Awards. Since its inception, nearly 60 legal professionals, including some of the county’s most respected and well-known jurists, have been honored.

Following are condensed profiles of this year’s recipients, the Hon. Stephany L. Joy (Ret.) and attorneys Leslie R. Perry and Kirt F. Zeigler. It is our privilege to present these to our readers so that more of you can know of the contributions to our communities, our businesses and to the cause of justice. ---The Business Journal

As a Superior Court Commissioner, Stephany Joy began every workday reading the latest appellate court decisions. She knew, understood, and loved the law, which is the foundation for justice. However, she also understood that it is not the only component part. Commissioner Joy would often say to colleagues or court staff: “Let’s go do some justice.”

This was always said with sincerity and a warm smile and reflected how deeply she felt the honor and privilege to serve as a Commissioner and how much she loved her work.

When she became a Commissioner, Judge Sater sent her a note, quoting the Talmud: “Every judge who renders righteous judgment, scripture deems him a copartner of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, in the work of Creation.” He added: “This will be you.” Commissioner Joy did what she believed was right and just in every case. Her career as a Public Defender in Sonoma County began in 1981 when Marteen Miller hired her as a deputy public defender. According to the current Public Defender, Kathleen Pozzi, for whom Commissioner Joy was a mentor and courtroom partner, Commissioner Joy advocated for the best in her clients in the courtroom- presenting many of them as a “nice young man” or a “nice young woman” who had made a mistake but deserved a break.

Public Defender Pozzi says that out of the courtroom, Commissioner Joy was equally supportive but unflinchingly realistic, meting out tough love while working with clients to accept responsibility for their actions and their lives. She had high standards and invested off duty time and personal funds helping clients turn their lives around. According to the Public Defender, it was harder for them to face Commissioner Joy’s disappointment than the judge’s sentence. Over the course of her career as a Public Defender and as a Commissioner, Stephany Joy touched the lives of many kids for the better.

She is justly proud of her profound and selfless contributions. As a Superior Court Commissioner, Commissioner Joy served primarily in a misdemeanor trial department. She cared about all of the people in her courtroom-those accused of crimes; those found to have committed crimes; and those hurt by crimes. She also cared about the attorneys, courtroom staff, the bailiffs, and the other professionals who regularly appeared as advisors to the court. She retired in 2010.

No article about Commissioner Joy would be complete without mentioning her sense of humor and sense of pure fun. She has a long memory for good stories. As with all truly wonderful storytellers, she enjoys the story again with each telling. Born in New York, she is a die-hard fan of the 49ers and the Buffalo Bills-doing the just thing even as a fan. She is the oldest of three children born to Stephen and Mary Bitti Joy. Her father served as an Assemblyman in the New York State Legislature, as a U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, and later as a U.S. Magistrate. He has been her most important role model. Commissioner Joy has always been called to a life of service. Her career path began as a novitiate nun.

She did not become a nun, deciding instead to pursue a career in public service. She earned a BS in Social Sciences from Le Moyne College in New York and a Masters in American Political and Constitutional History from George Washington University in Washington, where she also earned her law degree in 1969. From 1968 to 1970, she clerked for Judge Joyce Hens Green, who was then a newly appointed Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Hens Green was later elevated to the federal court and is now a Senior District Court Judge for the District Court of the District of Columbia. During the eight years she was in Washington D.C., Commissioner Joy worked for the Democratic Party. She started in September 1963, two months before President Kennedy was assassinated and met Bobbie Kennedy in his office the day Lyndon Johnson was sworn in. Stephany Joy served as a Superior Court Commissioner with dignity, compassion, professionalism, dedication, and humility, always with the goal of doing justice in every case to the best of her ability. At 70, she retired from the court and entered the next phase of her rich life. For the first time in a very long time she is once more a “private citizen.” Commissioner Joy’s life is full with her extended family and long-term friends from all stages of her life. She loved and respected her colleagues and this affection was reciprocated. It is inevitable that her future will be full of friends she hasn’t yet had a chance to meet....

Hon. Nancy Case Shaffer is a a Sonoma County Superior Court judge and is a past president of the Sonoma County Bar Association.

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