Who is Julie Cantrell

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When people first meet Julie Cantrell they are amazed to learn she is a Lake

Superior Court judge.

"They look at me and see a woman who is young, pretty, blonde and little,"

said Cantrell, 31, who was married in July. "But I explain to them that I

demand attention."

Cantrell was elected to the bench in 1996 at the age of 28. She remains the

youngest judge in Indiana.

During her campaign, her opponents challenged her qualifications because of her

age. It did not matter that she worked for the Lake County prosecutor's office

for three years and had a conviction rate of more than 90 percent.

"I get a lot of people saying 'How do you think you can do this?' ... I explain

to them it is not the years, but what you do with it. It is your enthusiasm and

the efforts to do things that is important - not your age. The truth is we need

to bring more youth into elected offices and into government. It helps promote

change."

Cantrell decided to become a judge because she wanted to do something

different, but did not feel the need want to go into private law. The elections

were approaching and a friend encouraged her to run. At first Cantrell laughed

at the idea, but the more she thought about it and consulted her peers, she

realized it was worth pursuing.

Cantrell first thought of a career in law while in high school. She had the

acting bug and was enrolled in speech and debate classes.

"I figured I could take my talents in to the courtroom," said Cantrell, who has

a law degree from the University of Tulsa.

Today Cantrell travels throughout the county to speak to students, particularly

those in high school.

"I do see myself as a role model ... I encourage young people to realize they

can do anything they want to do."

And this:

The Lake County judicial system is full of all different kinds of judges on all different levels.

Judge Julie Cantrell was elected to the Lake County Superior Court, and her staff handles misdemeanor criminal cases.

"We see 27,000 to 30,000 cases a year," said Judge Julie Cantrell. "And we make sure people who deserve to go jail, go!" Cantrell started her career as a deputy at the Lake County prosecutor's office.

During her three years in that position, she had a 95-percent conviction rate including 27 homicide convictions. In 1997, Cantrell was sworn into her current position, and over the past 10 years has enjoyed what she does.

"I love my job," Cantrell explained. "I get to help people and protect the community."

And helping others is something she's wanted to do ever since she was a kid. In fact, Cantrell believes she found her sense of justice in the sixth grade. "It all started with one of my classmates stealing my crayons in school," Cantrell said. "I made sure I fought for what was mine, and I've been doing so ever since!"

Outside the courtroom, Cantrell keeps busy with her family. She's been married for almost 10 years, and has three children. She thoroughly enjoys being a mom, and has fun as a Girl Scout leader. In addition, Cantrell speaks at DARE graduations at almost every city in the county. "It's important for kids to know the dangers of drugs," she said. "I feel very strongly about that."

Cantrell attended Purdue University and after graduation went on to obtain her law degree at Tulsa University. In addition to her duties as a judge, Cantrell teaches a political science call at Purdue-Calumet. In 1998, she received the Indiana Judges Association Award for excelling in public education. As for what the future holds for Cantrell, well, that's still unknown. "This is a great job, and I don't see myself doing anything different."