On the bench he generally appears to be laid back, bur is lighrning quick with a ruling, or in rare inscance when it is needed. and admonition. Procrastination, and occupational hazard for lawyers and judges, is foreign [0 his
me
naCUTe.
While his practice was generally in the casualty defense/corporate area, he did not carry any tilt in that direction when he switched from the bar (0 the bench. In facr, nor long alter he became a judge, lawyers from all ranks were singing his
praises. To quote from the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary (which quote lawyers): H. is a rop notch judg.... H. is probably as good as there is in the Judiciary... H. had a w.alth of trial
u.s.
friends with produce and honey. Jane is quick to point our that it is the distaff member of chis parrnership who does the really hard work with the bees (srraining the honey and putting it in jars). His wife and daughters point out that, despite his farm roots and affinities, he is a gadget Icing. He loves all types of mechanical and electronic equipment. In fact, Chief Justice Rehnquist appointed him to the Federal Judicial Conference's Committee on Technology and Automation where he served ten years. Jane suggests that you not let him take a picture of you with his digital camera un.less you want your mug to appear on the Internet. Jim Blair of Fayetteville - a former parmer and longtime friend of the judge's - says he has been the victim
of the Internet photo syndrome. Jim Cypert of Sprindale, anorher former parmer and former President of the Arkansas Bar Association, says, "Frank is just an alI around great guy, on the bench and off - he's a wonderful fellow." And this is from a man - Cypert - who doesn't laugh un.less he is tickled. Back to the law. It became obvious early on in Judge Waters' judicial career that he was going to call it down the middle, i.e. he was going to hue to the admonition from the Holy Writ: Be honest and just when you make decisions in legal cases; Do not show favoritism to the poor or fiar the rich (Lev. 19:15). In all, a picrure book judge.~
exp(Tience before he sat on the bmch... He is a wonderful judge... He is courteous to the jurors, to the lawyers. to the litigants, and to the witnesits. He is firm but courteous... He does not tolerate anything unprofasional..Ht can be a /ink lough on lawya who are unprepared He rMILy expects you to be prepared when you walk in... He has no patiena If people are unpr<par<d If they ar< pr<pami, though, he lets them try their cases. He expects lawym to play by th. ruks and to know th. ruks. Cod help yOli ifyoll don't. H.; a nononsense judge. These qumes are taken from a cross section of lawyers who represent plaintiffs and defendants in both civil cases and defendants in criminal cases. One lawyer I interviewed said, "Franklin Waters walks across the federal judicial state, trailing clouds of glory behind him." Another lawyer. asked to evaluate this observation, agreed with it, but thought that it should be emphasized that the judge walks quierly. In this pan of the country. any lawyer who ever spent as much as a week on his grandparents' hum when she or he was growing up is apt to wax: bucolic when relating childhood stories. Judge Waters' "country boy" claim is whoUy legitimate. He grew up on a farm near SlatonviUe in southeasr Sebastian County (with some of the land across the Oklahoma line) raising various crops and animals. It was one of those Great Depression farms where everyone in the family had to work from "can 'til can't" to get by. Today, Judge Waters is an avid gardener and beekeeper. He provides neighbors and
, I
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