Jenna Brown is a candidate for associate district judge. She is a native Oklahoman and determined she wanted to become a lawyer while serving as a social worker. She went to law school nights and worked her regular job during the day. Following graduation from law school, Brown went to work at the district attorney’s office in Altus. Following a five-year stint living and practicing law in Florida, Brown went to work for the district attorney in Canadian County, then opened a private practice.
“But I love prosecuting, so I went back to the DA’s office part-time,” she said.
Brown has served as guardian ad litem for juveniles in divorce cases, looking out for the best interest of the child and has special interest in domestic violence cases.
As an assistant district attorney, Brown didn’t plan to move to Watonga, but found she really enjoyed the community and wound up purchasing a home here.
Brown decided to run for the bench because she believes the court can be better. One of her goals is to clear the backlog of cases and deal with cases that are falling by the wayside, she said. She is not a fan of video conference.
“The courthouse should be a place where everyone can be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone gets a chance to be heard when time is devoted to the bench,” she said. “Then the cases flow through as they should.”
As an attorney for 20 years, 19 of them as a prosecutor, Brown calls herself victim-oriented with empathy for the victims and sufferers who appear in the court.
“I have a strong knowledge of the law and I’m used to looking at all sides of the cases impartially. I have a deeply engrained sense of ethics. I was named Oklahoma Prosecutor of the Year in 2015 and I think it is important to stand back and look at things objectively. Then you can discern when someone does not need to go to jail.”
Using that objectivity, Brown said she determines a witness’s credibility and decides the appropriate intervention for defendants, looking at cases individually to find the best resolution.