By Jasmine Stark
This May, Natalie Fears Sundeen, who currently serves as municipal court judge for Jackson and Jenkinsburg, announced her intentions to run for Superior Court Judge in the Towaliga Circuit.
On May 19th I sat down with Natalie to ask her some questions about her experience and goals.
Jasmine: Why don’t we start off with you sharing your career journey and how you got to this point.
Natalie: Well, I was born and raised in Butts County. My grandfather was a lawyer, and his wife was a World War II vet nurse. They had four children and three of them ended up being lawyers. My uncle Dan, my aunt Denise, and my dad, Bill Fears, all were lawyers.
My dad ran his own business with his father, brother and sister. My mom was a pharmacist. She worked in retail pharmacy, so she’d work long hours. So my dad would pick us up from daycare, my brother and I, take us to the office. So you know, I grew up, essentially, at his law office.
I went to Jackson High School, graduated from there, and went to the University of Georgia. And, you know, there was a big push for me to do law school. Of course, when you go to college, you try to find your own way. In the end, I decided that’s what I wanted to do, and I ended up at Mercer Law School.
I met my law partner, Ben, there. We sat by each other on the first day of law school and developed a really good friendship. We helped each other as far as assignments and studying. And that’s kind of how I got to Monroe County.
Jasmine: What made you want to run for Superior Court Judge?
Natalie: There’s a lot of things that made me want to run for Superior Court Judge. So I don’t think I have one really good reason. But I love this community. I will say that. And I feel like I’ve got a fingerprint on the pulse of this community.
My daughter is going to go to the middle school here next year. We just made the middle school cheer team. So I’m super excited about that. My two boys are at the elementary school. And then my youngest son is at the Foxden here in Monroe County. So I’m super invested in the community.
I was telling you, I’m from Butts County. And I really feel like I have a duty to serve the communities. I feel like it’s what I’m called to do. I feel like I’ve been given the experience and the education. And I think it’s time to give back to the community.
Jasmine: What experiences have prepared you for the responsibilities of this role?
Natalie: That’s a good question. So I serve currently as Municipal Court Judge. I do that in the city of Jackson and the city of Jenkinsburg. I have about nine years experience being a judge. But then also I’ve practiced almost all areas under the law. I’ve practiced criminal law. I’ve prosecuted cases. And I’ve been on the criminal defense side. And, you know, we’re really known for real estate, property matters at our firm.
I handle a lot of family law cases, family is my heart. So family law is a big part of my practice. But I feel like all of those experiences together and getting to experience every part of the law has really prepared me to want to sit in a position where I have a lot of knowledge over a lot of the areas of the law.
Jasmine: How do you think your experience as a Municipal Court Judge will influence your approach to presiding over these court cases?
Natalie: I would say that my approach to the bench today is a lot different than my approach nine years ago. But through that process and seeing both sides, you know, you have the prosecution and then you have the defendants and understanding that you sit in an impartial role. And understanding also that these people, they’re innocent until proven guilty. So just having the experience of having the prosecution meet their burden, proving things beyond a reasonable doubt, but then also lending an impartial ear to the defendants and understanding they’re represented by counsel too.
It’s a really good experience. I will say, nine years ago, I was probably naive or fresh to it, but once you’ve invested time in that role, I think it matures you and it matures your ability to be impartial.
Jasmine: How long have you been studying or working in law in total?
Natalie: I graduated from Mercer Law School in 2012. So I passed the bar 13 years ago.
Jasmine: How would you describe your judicial philosophy?
Natalie: Judicial philosophy, I like that. So I was telling you that I have children here, that I’m raising my children in this community and I care about this community, but I really care about keeping this community safe. So understanding that I want to see justice, you know, for violent criminals, obviously, but also understanding as a judge, you have to be an impartial figure, right? So understanding that there are two sides to every story.
I do think I’m fairly conservative in my approach.
Note: Judges are non-partisan roles and within the judicial system, conservative and liberal have different meanings than they do in partisan politics. In modern partisan politics, conservative is often linked to republican ideals while democrats are typically considered liberal.
In the judicial system, conservative describes judges who stick closely to the original meaning and text of the laws and adhere to legal precedent. Liberal judges take modern values and societal changes into account when interpreting laws which can sometimes lead to judicial activism where judges rule against current legal precedent or the precise text of the law when they feel that the current law or precedent restricts individual rights or promotes social injustice.
Jasmine: And so by “conservative”, you mean that you’re not taking the position to try to change or manipulate the law. You’re trying to interpret and apply the law as written.
Natalie: As written, yeah, impartially.
Jasmine: And not put your own political views towards that.
Natalie: Absolutely. And I think that’s really important. Because what you have to understand is people in front of you come from all different walks of life, all different backgrounds. So I may have been raised completely different from somebody that comes into my courtroom, but I have to put that to the side.
You know, and that’s very important to understand. And that’s a lot of what I meant by maybe nine years ago, not having as much maturity and experience as I feel like I have now and ability to do that. I think that really takes some time.
Jasmine: How does this philosophy inform your approach to interpreting and applying the law?
Natalie: Well, you have to follow the law as a judge, right? And so my job is not to pick which side I like better, but it’s to know the law and then apply the law to the facts and circumstances in an impartial way.
Jasmine: How do you plan to balance the strict application of the law with the need for empathy and understanding of the individuals involved in the cases brought to you?
Natalie: Again, I think conservatively, you take that law. What does that law say and how do we apply the facts of the people in front of me and then interpret how that law governs the situation?
I will say I’m a mother, so I have a lot of empathy. But also as a mother, like it’s my job to protect and serve as well. So I think I have as much empathy for the litigants as I do for protecting my community, understanding that, you know, if there is a circumstance where there needs to be justice brought, I can do that. You know, I want to do that.
Jasmine: What do you feel is your biggest strength when it pertains to this role?
Natalie: Just my broad experience. I mean, there’s not a topic that— OK, I’m not here to say I have done it all and I know all the law, but I have a very vast trial experience.
I’m a litigator. So the majority of my time is spent in the courtroom trying cases. I would also say that I’ve learned a lot.
When I was in law school, I was the intern here for this circuit. So I learned a lot, even just in that role. You know, the way trials are conducted, the way that you’re supposed to pick a jury. You know, all of those things.
There’s the law and how you apply it, and there’s also the practice of law. And so I would say my specialty is the practice of law. I understand courtroom trials and procedures from a criminal standpoint, but also from a civil standpoint and what that looks like.
What are the deadlines on a divorce proceeding? Has the county filed an injunction? Is somebody suing the school board? Those are all things I have a lot of experience on. And those are all things that take time to learn. And so I would say one of the benefits of me being the judge is day one. I know it. Let’s hit the ground and let’s run.
Jasmine: That’s great. And I can tell you have a lot of passion for it.
Natalie: I do. I do.
Jasmine: What do you think is the biggest challenge that our court system faces today?
Natalie: Backlog. Yeah. Backlog, especially in our criminal cases. And if there would be a more efficient way, you know, to really push a lot of those cases, because I see, the judges here until late at night just trying to get through some of these criminal calendars.
It’s really taken a toll on our communities, our jails, our judges. And so I think that would be a challenge. How do we resolve some of these cases a little bit faster? What efficiency is there from a judicial perspective? How can we apply that to help our jails not be so overrun? Or to help our calendars and our public defenders and our district attorneys work better together and our criminal attorneys and let’s push those cases through a little bit faster.
Jasmine: Do you have any ideas or plans that you would like to implement to kind of increase the efficiency?
Natalie: Yeah, I absolutely do. And there’s a lot of different dates right now set for criminal cases that are completely irrelevant. In my opinion, if you’re not ready to take a plea or you’re not ready to go to trial, there is no sense in these cases being set on five and six day calendars. Especially when there’s no announcement.
It’s a waste of the attorney’s time, of the client’s money, of the public defender’s resources, and of the judge’s time. And what is the point of calling a judge in to sit over a calendar where there’s no resolution? That makes no sense.
I have a lot of plans for how I would really put some efficiency into the judicial backlog, specifically in the criminal cases right now.
Jasmine: What inspired you to pursue law?
Natalie: Probably my family. Yeah. Yeah, my dad. I think he serves with honesty and integrity, and I’ve learned a tremendous amount of impartiality and fairness, but also sternness from him. He leads his courtroom like he led his family with honesty and integrity, and I really look up to that.
Jasmine: So your dad was a big inspiration for you.
Natalie: He was. And my granddad. He was kind of a legend in some of the older circles. He was so old by the time I was old enough to know him. I rely a lot on stories from the community, but just the difference that he made and the chance he gave people who normally wouldn’t have a chance really inspired me.
Jasmine: Kind of the legacy that he left?
Natalie: Exactly.
Jasmine: Are there any other judges that you admire and look up to?
Natalie: Sure. There’s a senior judge. He’s retired now, Judge Byron Smith out of Lamar County. He’s incredible, and he’s from that older generation. You know, when we talk about this a lot, the practice of law is really an art, and I think now there’s such a heavy focus on resolving cases before they get to court that the art of practicing law is kind of diminishing. So I have a lot of respect for him and how he ran his courtroom.
I have a lot of respect for Judge Wilson, too. I mean, he is our chief superior court judge. He is the only judge I can appear in front of because my dad is the other judge, and I have a lot of respect for him, too.
Jasmine: What do you anticipate as the biggest challenge transitioning from a municipal court judge into the superior court, and how do you plan to address them?
Natalie: So a municipal court judge is very limited in what we can hear. So it’s a lower court, which means we’re dealing with traffic tickets, DUIs, city ordinance violations, dog bite cases. So more of, like, your petty offenses. As you transition to be a superior court judge, you deal with a much broader range of cases. And essentially, you know, some circuits have a state court and a superior court. Well, we only have a superior court based on our population. So that’s the highest court in the circuit. And so I would hear everything. It would just be a whole range of things. So I don’t know that it will be as much of a rocky transition because I understand my approach to the bench and the impartiality I take. But just having a broader range of knowledge of everything else that would come in front of me.
Jasmine: What legacy do you hope to leave as a superior court judge?
Natalie: I just want to serve with integrity and honesty. I want my kids to be proud of me. Yeah. I want one day for them to say, maybe I should be a lawyer or maybe I should be a judge. So really, my legacy is my kids.
For Natalie, practicing law has always been a family affair and today, family remains her inspiration and motivation. She hopes to protect her family and other families in Monroe County as Superior Court Judge.
Elections for Superior Court Judge will take place next May during the primary elections. Make sure you’re registered to vote!
