Friday was a big day for Ambrose Berger – perhaps the big- gest of his young life. There was cake to eat, both white and chocolate. There were chairs with wheels to ride in. There was a new office to see. There were grandparents (two sets) and aunts, a courtroom full of smiling people, and that gavel. Perched in the arms of his grandfather, almost 3-year-old Ambrose gazed at the gavel pointed out by his grandfather.
Explaining that the gavel and the big desk under it were part of the place where people would come when they got in trouble, the grandfather heard an earnest response. Ambrose had heard that word trouble before – “trouble on the double,” he said. “Trouble on the double.” Ambrose was being introduced to the Fifth Judicial District Courtroom where his father, Luke Berger, will preside, likely for many years to come.
Berger was chosen from among 13 applicants to succeed retiring judge Loren Tucker. Judge Berger was sworn in Friday, only the third local district judge in over 30 years, something Ambrose will probably appreciate more as he grows up. For Friday, he was told the cake and celebration were for his dad’s birthday. The big day was not just a family celebration. It was also old home week for lots of folks from Dillon and Twin Bridges.
