Prominent area lawyer running for judgeship

By Jack Wagner

Santa Clara has served as the catalyst for countless success stories and it looks like it may soon be adding another to the list.

Vanessa Zecher is currently running for Superior Court Judgeship in Santa Clara County and has served as a lawyer for the past 22 years.

Zecher graduated from Santa Clara in 1984 with a B.A. in philosophy and received her J.D. degree in 1987.

Regarding her time at Santa Clara, Zecher said, "the time here was terrific," and that she had many fond memories from her years in school.

Besides her education, Zecher said that the relationships she formed with other students were her greatest takeaway from her time at Santa Clara.

After law school, Zecher worked on the Santa Clara County Council, focusing on civil, probate and dependency laws. In 1991, she left this position and in 1994 she moved into the private sector and formed her own family law practice.

Zecher decided to run for Superior Court Judgeship in December of 2009 and has found that changing her mind-set from that of an attorney to that of a potential judge has been a unique challenge, to say the least.

"Moving from being a lawyer to a judge means that you go from being an advocate to being a person who is neutral. So you go from the position of advocating a particular decision to the court to actually making those decisions. It's a very big shift in perspective," said Zecher.

The campaign process for judges is much different than what most people imagine in a typical political drive.

Due to the nature of being a judge, people running for the position are not allowed to run with a political platform. This neutrality makes it difficult for voters to connect with them on a personal level, but the candidates still have to find a way to relate to their constituents.

To gain more interest and increase their profile among the voters, Zecher and her opponent have to seek endorsements from judges, past associates and colleagues.

The candidates also spend a good deal of time educating people about what their job would entail if they were elected and what a Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara County would be in charge of.

Zecher is running against Tim Pitsker, who, prior to his retirement this past February, spent 26 years serving as a prosecutor in Santa Clara County. The two candidates are vying for the seat of Judge Mary Jo Levinger.

Regarding her chances in this election, Zecher said "I have run a very passionate and intense campaign and I'm hoping that the voters will see that." She chose not to comment further on this point.

Zecher joins the ranks of other successful Santa Clara graduates. Athletes such as Joe Cannon '98, a professional soccer player for the San Jose Earthquakes, and Steve Nash '96, a basketball player for the Phoenix Suns, are likely the most identifiable alumni of Santa Clara, but certainly not the only ones to make a name for themselves.

According to the Notable Alumni page on Santa Clara's website, there have been many impressive people to pass through the doors of Santa Clara, including authors, film directors, radio broadcasters and film actors.

Andy Ackerman, who graduated in 1978, produced and directed Seinfeld, and Jorma Kaukonen '66 and Paul Kantner '65, were members of the band Jefferson Airplane.

There have also been prominent businessmen and businesswomen, including David Fry, class of 1983, John Fry, class of 1978, and Randy Fry, class of 1980, the founders of Fry's Electronics.

The Santa Clara County elections take place on June 8, but absentee ballots have already been distributed. The election will be decided after all of the votes are in.

If the race between Zecher and Pitsker is close, absentee ballots will be looked at in more detail, and the decision could take a few more days.

Whatever the outcome, Zecher says that she has learned a lot from running for an elected position.

She shared some of these lessons, along with a little knowledge she has gained over the years, saying, "Work hard and keep your options open. There's a lot of ways to use your gifts and talents and stay open as to what is needed."

By taking Zecher's advice to heart, students can head down the same path she is taking, perhaps one day showing up as a notable alumni of Santa Clara themselves.

Contact Jack Wagner at jcwagner@scu.edu or (408) 554-4546.