Leon County Circuit Court docket Decide Tiffany M. Baker-Carper guarantees to all the time deal with individuals with dignity and respect.
Born and raised in Quincy, Baker-Carper initially needed to be a physician. She graduated from the College of Miami, incomes levels in finance and chemistry. After graduating, she developed an curiosity in legal regulation.
Baker-Carper graduated from Howard College Faculty of Legislation in Washington, DC. She started a profession as an legal professional on the public defenders’ workplace.
Newly launched to the world of regulation, her preliminary expertise was bittersweet.
“Being a brand-new legal professional, was actually a battle for me, I had a robust want to be Black and glorious. My counterparts checked out me like they suppose I’m higher than them,” Baker-Carper mentioned. “I got here throughout as intimidating, too good, over assured. However, in actuality that was not the case. I walked within the courtroom with the mentality that as a Black individual, we’ve got to run quicker, be 10 occasions higher.
“I actually strived to be spectacular and nice at my job. My mother all the time informed me in the event you’re not going to do it proper, simply don’t do it, so I reside by that,” she added.
Baker-Carper knew that she was completely different from others. Regardless of her environment, she goes to do what she feels is critical to efficiently do her job.
A mentor recollects some adversities she confronted as a brand new legal professional.
“Being an African-American feminine on this trade, Tiffany could have seemed to be an aggressor, intimidator or the indignant Black girl,” mentioned Lisa Mitchell. “She actually is only a laborious employee that’s self-motivated, passionate, open-minded and inquisitive. Out and in of the courtroom, she could be very loyal and gives you every little thing she has. Tiffany’s journey as a decide, she needs to see change. She has a robust want to make a distinction.”
After being an legal professional and witnessing first-hand the unjust remedy of her shoppers, Baker-Carper determined to run for circuit decide.
“I went earlier than a number of completely different judges, knew the nice ones, knew the dangerous ones, however what actually struck me had been judges that didn’t deal with individuals with dignity and respect,” Baker- Carper mentioned. “Due to this fact, I ran with a purpose to do one thing about that. I ran with a purpose to give the group a decide that no matter what they had been charged with, why they appeared earlier than the court docket, their financial standing, seemed like, or sound like, they might have a decide that will take heed to them, give them a chance to be heard, respect them, and simply really deal with them like human beings,” Baker-Carper mentioned.
In response to Ryan Randolph, Baker-Carper’s judicial assistant, there is no such thing as a query that she has stored her phrase to deal with individuals with dignity and respect.
“I do know first-hand that she has been residing as much as the marketing campaign of treating individuals the way in which she promised,” Randolph mentioned. “She has obtained letters from dad and mom and juveniles. Dad and mom inform her on the document that she treats the juveniles with care, she is honest, does what she feels is correct, and talks to individuals with respect.”
Decide Baker-Carper presides over the juvenile court docket the place she has applied a program that permits those that are positioned on probation to realize group service hours by carrying a tie to court docket, studying tips on how to tie a tie, and educating another person tips on how to tie a tie. She needs the youth to study new abilities earlier than leaving the system.
“I really consider that after they begin carrying ties, the individuals in the neighborhood will see them in a distinct gentle, seeing them of worth, seeing that they’ve a promised future,” Mellie Baker, Baker-Carper’s father, mentioned.
The 35-years-old, not subscribes to the mentality that her life’s successes and journey relies on the colour of her pores and skin. She is married to Leonard Carper and has two lovely daughters, Phoenix Ray, 9, and Lennox Luna, 2.
Decide Baker-Carper is charged with treating everybody with dignity and respect and altering the attitude within the courtroom.
