Probate Judge Steven Reed Montgomery County, Alabama

6/18/2019

Probate Judge Steven L. Reed

c/o Montgomery County Courthouse Annex III

101 South Lawrence Street

P.O. Box  223

Montgomery, AL  36101-0223

         Dear Probate Judge Reed,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history and social justice. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for Civil Rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Probate Judge Reed, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as Probate Judge of the Montgomery County Court to be very inspiring to me.

In 2012, I was amazed on how you made history by becoming the first African American to become the Probate Judge of the Montgomery County Court.  In your current role as Probate Judge, I’m very proud on how you are a strong supporter of Civil Rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, pushing for strict sentencing for people who commit hate-crime to help protect minorities including people who are different, and expressing the need to end racial profiling in the criminal justice system to protect minorities including immigrants from being oppressed.  Supporting drug treatment programs to help drug-users get the care they need to reduce drug-abuse, working to expand programs to help victims of crime or victims of domestic violence get the care they need to get help on their trauma, and expressing the need for more funds for DNA testing including forensic science to help reduce sending an innocent person to jail while reduce crime is common sense for criminal justice reform.  On mental health issue, I like your approach on establishing the mental health court to see if the person is mentally ill to stand trial and send people with mental illness to therapy programs to help assist them on dealing with their mental illness.  Another thing that I like your work as Probate Judge is how you are a strong advocate for the need to protect voter’s rights from being taken away or discriminated in poll places, have the courage to issue same-sex marriage licenses when the Alabama state supreme court put a ban on same sex marriage, and support the need for ethics reform to ban gifts to court officials from lobbyist to reduce corruption.

Probate Judge Reed, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Also your role as Probate Judge of the Montgomery County Court gives me motivation to continue to learn history with social justice.  My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need to make Civil Rights stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others.   

I strongly believe that you are making a really great difference in the judicial system and for society. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to improve criminal justice reform, improve Civil Rights, advocate for voter’s rights, and many others. You have inspired me to work hard on my disability and to continue to learn history with social justice. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great impact on society, and inspiring me.   I wish you the best to continue to make a great difference for the criminal justice system including society. I hope that you could run for higher office because we including me need people like you to advocate for common sense ideas when both political parties ignore them.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick