Judge William G. Young

If you've heard of "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, then chances are the name William G. Young also rings a bell. Young is the U.S. District Court judge in Boston whose anti-terrorist tirade at Reid's sentencing in 2003 made him an instant patriot in the eyes of many. A decidedly more subdued Young recently spoke with Exhibit A's Jason Scally about Reid and about some of his regrets as a federal judge since 1985 and as a state Superior Court judge before that.

 

Q. Did it feel good to send the "shoe bomber" away for life?

A. No. Sentencing is the hardest thing that a judge does, and it was no less in Mr. Reid's case. … In that case I thought strong words were called for, but sentencing is never a satisfying exercise. In fact, it's the most troubling, most difficult, of a judge's obligations.

 

Q. What is a judge's obligation?

A. I believe a judge is a teacher. What judges do is teach publicly held values.

 

Q. Do you regret any of your rulings or sentences over the years?

A. Yes. I have been a judge long enough that five people whom I've sentenced have died in prison, and I regret each one of those sentences intensely. I've never sentenced anyone to death. Two of the five had lengthy sentences and died of natural causes. But I was very aware of the fact [that] I sentenced a young man, who I knew had a heart condition, to a relatively short period of imprisonment, and he had a heart attack and died. I sentenced, in the state system, a rapist to prison. He was wealthy; his family had gotten him all sorts of psychiatric counseling; and they had been counting on an alternative disposition. I sentenced him to prison, and he committed suicide before he went. And I sentenced a young man in his late teens who had dealt drugs in the state system. I learned that he had reneged on a drug deal within the prison … and was murdered in prison. And you see, I can recall all of those situations. I can recall what each one of those five looked like.

 

Q. Is a case more serious if it is brought in federal court?

A. No. The [state] Superior Court has jurisdiction over everything from small claims to murder, and the federal court has jurisdiction conferred by Congress over relatively minor issues up to and including murder-racketeering.

 

Q. What's the major difference between being a federal judge and being a state judge?

A. The major practical difference is the federal court is far better funded, equipped and staffed than the state courts. … Here, all the mistakes are my mistakes. I can't say, "Oh, well, I didn't have the legal-research resources."

 

Q. Federal judges are appointed by the president. What do you recall about being appointed by President Ronald Reagan in the '80s?

A. Reagan had a tradition that I don't know that other presidents follow: Reagan called everyone whom he nominated. I did not know Reagan — never met the man — and he did not know me. So he calls me; he spoke, I thanked him. … But one thing sticks in my mind: His last statement to me was, "Give my best to Bev and the boys." And I thought that really is magnificent staff work to know that's just how I referred to my wife [Beverly]. {EXA}