Before Pamela Smith-Steward left the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, in late August to become a Superior Court judge, her office was decorated with pictures of her family, an array of legal books, and a caricature of her that was drawn by her former colleagues at the California Department of Corrections. The caricature was entitled "Balancing the Scales of Life," and it is this balancing of life that has prepared Smith-Steward to serve on the Sacramento County bench.

Although Smith-Steward is only 40 years old, her appointment came as no surprise to those who have had the pleasure of working with her. Attorney General Bill Lockyer praised her appointment. "For the past three years Ms. Smith-Steward has been an indispensable source of wisdom, sound advice and competence for me and other state government leaders, including the Governor," Lockyer said. "She not only possesses an acute legal intellect, but is also committed to public service and fair treatment. Her appointment means the loss of an outstanding legal manager in the Attorney General's Office, but a great new jurist for the people of Sacramento County."

Smith-Steward's journey to the bench began at an early age. Her family moved to California from Michigan when she was six years old. Although neither of her parents attended college, there was never a question in her family about whether she would attend, only where. After graduating from St. Bernard High School in Los Angeles, she attended the University of Southern California, bagging groceries to support herself. With her store manager's help, she was able to adjust her work schedule to fit with her classes and she graduated from USC with a degree in business administration concentrating in finance.

From the time she was a young girl watching Perry Mason on television, Smith-Steward knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Her parents instilled in her a love of reading and learning and Smith-Steward decided that as a lawyer you would never stop either, so she enrolled in and obtained her law degree from Harvard Law School. Just as her work career has been successful, Smith-Steward's personal life has been equally successful.

Smith-Steward spends most of her free time involved in her church and with her three sons' sports activities. Smith-Steward says that "to do anything well you have to practice" and that she and her husband, Joseph, are trying to teach and model for their sons the value of hard work. Smith-Steward and her oldest son are involved in her church's lay communion ministry that serves homebound church members. Smith-Steward believes that the value of serving others needs to be passed on to the next generation, and she spends a lot of her energy passing on her family's wisdom to her own children.

Along the way, Smith-Steward has enjoyed balancing her life with the help of her husband. Smith-Steward and her husband were high school sweethearts and have just celebrated their eighteenth wedding anniversary. She and her husband have shared in the task of raising their three sons, but Smith-Steward credits her husband with being the children's primary care-giver. Smith-Steward said she is very fortunate to have a partner like her husband and that without his support she would not have had the freedom or the courage to try the things she has. Smith-Steward's husband has helped her have the peace of mind that she needs in serving the public through her work.

Smith-Steward's dedication to public service stems in large part from her father, who served for about a decade as a police officer in Detroit, Michigan, in addition to his service in the military. Smith-Steward's mom served the public as a reservations agent for American Airlines. Smith-Steward has one sister who resides in North Carolina, where she works as a home health worker assisting mentally and physically disabled children and their families in locating the resources that they need.

Smith-Steward said she has found that public service enables her to deal with fundamental issues and with basic rights and freedoms. Being a judge is a dream that Smith-Steward and her dad shared together. Smith-Steward and her father, who passed away in 1988, often spoke of how being a judge was the pinnacle of a legal career. An appointment to the bench would be an honor for anyone, but for Smith-Steward it is a special honor. As an African American with an appreciation for the obstacles black Americans faced in the year she was born, Smith-Steward has the opportunity to hold a position of trust and to serve the public in an important way, in a way that she and her dad dreamed of.

So who is Pamela Smith-Steward? Smith-Steward is an avid reader, reading everything from a book on credibility, to a book on Abraham Lincoln and his style of leadership, to books about customer service and how to keep clients happy, to science fiction books. She is an African American, a wife, a mother, a member of a church, and the mom who makes the banner for her son' s soccer team - these are the roles that make Smith-Steward unique. Pamela Smith-Steward brings diversity to the Sacramento County bench and not just in terms of race or gender. Smith-Steward said part of diversity is reflecting the face of California: "It is important for our school children and people who are served by the Court to look at the bench and see that the bench reflects a broad variety, a broad group of people. So, if I can do that, partly, by being an African American, I'm honored. If I can do that by being a woman, I'm thrilled. If I can do that by being a mother of young children that is great, too."

Smith-Steward's diversity also comes from her work experience. Smith-Steward began her legal career here in Sacramento with the firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Intrigued by the opportunity to expand her legal knowledge and by the challenges of how to run a prison with all of its security and budgetary issues, Smith-Steward chose to broaden her legal expertise by joining the California Department of Corrections in 1986. Smith-Steward initially worked as a staff attorney in the correctional law unit and eventually became the Chief Counsel and Deputy Director. Smith-Steward says she got a lot of fulfillment from being able to help administrators do the very best job they could under very difficult circumstances.

Melissa Meith, the director of the California Office of Administrative Hearings and a colleague of Smith-Steward's at the Department of Corrections, said that she is absolutely delighted that Smith-Steward has been appointed to the bench: "Pam Smith-Steward is not only among the brightest and most dedicated people I have ever had the pleasure of working with but, Pam is also uniquely gracious. She is sure to enrich the Sacramento bench."

Linda McAtee, general counsel to the State Treasurer and another former colleague from the Department of Corrections, is similarly excited about Smith-Steward's appointment. McAtee described Smith-Steward as a person of great judgment and the highest ethics and also praised Smith-Steward for her respectful treatment of people.

Further expanding the breadth of her legal expertise, Smith-Steward joined the Attorney General's Office in 1999 as Chief Assistant Attorney General for the Division of Civil Law. Challenging herself and continuing to learn, Smith-Steward saw the opportunity to continue her growth and make a difference in how legal services are rendered to state agencies. After joining the office, Smith-Steward has melded the best of private practice and public service and energized the client service aspect of legal services that the Office of the Attorney General provides. Smith-Steward is very proud of forming the false claims section of the office and instituting the quality assurance program that provides additional supervisors to mentor, train and support the deputy attorneys general and the clients they serve.

"Pam has all of the qualities to be an exceptional judge," Senior Assistant Attorney General Andrea Hoch said. "She is one of the brightest people I know; she is dedicated to public service; she is fair and gracious with all of her staff and clients; and she is a role model for others, especially attorneys aspiring to become a manager or leader. While Pam will be missed by the Attorney General's Office, she will be a wonderful addition to the Sacramento Superior Court."

Pamela Smith-Steward is a firm believer that dignity and respect should be afforded to all, regardless of one's education, job or position in life. She strives to be good in both a technical and interpersonal sense. She has worked hard in every position she has held out of a sense of personal achievement, as well as to make those who gave her the opportunity to hold those positions proud. Smith-Steward admits that she did not get this appointment alone and she recognizes the many individuals who have supported her and encouraged her along the way. From Norman Hile at Orrick Herrington, to Director Jerold Prod at the Department of Corrections, to Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Chief Deputy Attorney General Peter Siggins, Pamela Smith-Steward is grateful to all of those who have mentored her and helped her with her journey to the bench.

Smith-Steward is honored and excited to be able to serve the people as a judge. She firmly believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect. Our justice system is a key underpinning to what makes our nation great and, with her tremendous attitude, spirit and work ethic, Pamela Smith-Steward is sure to continue her contributions to public service in her own unique way.