Judge Laura Roesch Farewell Party

Photography By Rick Cooper

– – Judge Laura Roesch was appointed to the bench in May 2001. Recently friends and colleagues held a retirement celebration to honor her 15 years of service and to wish her well.

Judge David Langham served with Judge Roesch for all but a few months of her tenure. He shares what it has to meant to him serve alongside such a leader:

“Judge Roesch is a loved and respected manager of a staff that has been long-serving and loyal. That says a great deal about her leadership.

Reflecting on the past 15 years, I believe that Judge Roesch’s greatest contribution has been her consistent dedication and pragmatism. She has been all about providing a fair and impartial hearing to injured workers and their employers in this part of the state. She has taught me so many things and has been a persistent contributor to handling cases in other districts. She is among the first to call and offer help when others have retired, fallen ill, etc.

Judge Roesch is so much more than a judge. I have always been impressed with her ability and motivation to enjoy life. She is an avid reader, a student of the law. She is enthralled with foreign cultures and history, and travels extensively.

She and her husband, Rich, have been collecting and riding motorcycles for a number of years. Her Harley-riding stories are always entertaining. She sometimes reminds me of the protagonist in Walter Mitty, travelling the globe and seeing the sights. I expect she could put on quite the slideshow/travelogue.

So many individuals had wonderful things to say about Judge Roesch at her celebration. She engaged in so many animated conversations with a packed house of individuals. There were friends from her ukulele orchestra (yes, that is not a typo), her car club, her reading club, the OJCC, attorneys, and more. It was quite a tribute.

We as a state, will miss this noble and able jurist.  I am thankful for the years of encouragement, support, and honest criticism. I will miss her academically-focused and well-reasoned legal sense. I am happy to celebrate her transition to a new phase of her life and the fact that I had the honor to serve with her for so long.”