Words of advice for Navarro

When U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro first learned she had been proposed for a federal judgeship, one of her three sons asked, "Does it come with a trophy?"

He was disapointed to learn the lifetime appointment has many benefits, but a trophy is not one of them.

Navarro, whose formal investiture was Tuesday, received some words of advice about never hesitating to ask for help.

U.S. District Judge Edward Reed shared the advice he received received when he was sworn in 31 years ago. Judge Roger Foley advised him, "Never let them take your picture after age 55."

Navarro is 43 and can look forward to a long career on the bench, so she won't need to listen to Reed's advice for a long time.

Meanwhile, the other cute kid story came from Chief Judge Roger Hunt. When he was being sworn in, his son told his grandson to look at the seal of the United States hanging in the courtroom. The disgusted grandson said, "That's not a seal, that's an eagle."

Okay, enough with the yucks.

My Thursday column will look at the political aspects of Navarro's appointment by Sen. Harry Reid. He appointed the first black woman to the bench in 1997, the first Hispanic male in 2000 and now the first Hispanic female. Out of 10 federal court judges in Nevada, now there is one woman. But really, who's counting?

Actually, I am.