Plains judge to retire after 11 years

After 11 years, Plains Judge Joe Eisenbrandt has decided to hang up his robe, but not because he wants to – it's doctor's orders.

The 74-year-old Eisenbrandt took a fall on the ice a couple of months ago and suffered a serious head injury. He said that although the CT scan shows improvement, he's decided to retire as the Plains and Hot Springs City judge, a job he's held since 2007 when he was first appointed the job at Plains by then Mayor Dan Bates. The Hot Springs post was added a short time later.

Eisenbrandt has served in the criminal justice system for nearly 50 years, starting as a reserve police officer in California. In 1977, he worked as a law enforcement officer in the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, retiring after 20 years. He was the chief detention officer in Thompson Falls in 1995, a position he had for just over a year before taking on the position as chief of police in Plains, retiring in 2002.

He initially took on the judge position as a temporary 30-day job until the town found a permanent judge following the passing of Bob Beitz. "I really wanted to do it, but it was supposed to be only temporary," said Eisenbrandt. There were three other applicants for the job, but when Bates asked Eisenbrandt to stay permanently, he took the job.

As city judge, Eisenbrandt handled only misdemeanor cases, occasionally filling in for the judge in Thompson Falls. Traffic violations were Eisenbrandt's most common cases, followed by family member assaults and thefts. He couldn't hear felony cases, with the exception of initial appearances before they were transferred to the district court.

Eisenbrandt took on the judge role because he liked dealing with people and he enjoyed working in the criminal justice system. He felt that he could help people who were not respecting the law by not always coming down hard on them for their first offense in hopes they would straighten up. His goal was to help people follow the right path as much as possible, but he didn't hesitate to bring the hammer down on those who he saw in his court multiple times. "It's nice when you give people a chance to change and they follow through and abide by the law," said Eisenbrandt.

He saw thousands of cases over the years, but he recalled one case with particular fondness. After finding a man guilty of driving under the influence, the man appealed to district court, where Eisenbrandt's decision was upheld. Not pleased, the man took the case to the Montana Supreme Court, where it was again upheld. "That was the highlight of my career, especially coming from the small town of Plains," said Eisenbrandt.

He has considered retiring a couple of times, but felt he would miss it too much. While doing his weekly long walk with a friend last winter, Eisenbrandt slipped on the ice and struck the back of his head. He was unconscious for only a short time, but after a check up, it was found he had subdural hematoma, a collection of blood on the brain. His injury resulted in slurred speech, dizziness, and major headaches, and he must take anti-seizure medication for at least two more months. His neurosurgeon feels it will be at least a year before his brain has completely healed. He also noted that Eisenbrandt's speech and memory problems should improve over the next year. The judge doesn't know whether or not there will be permanent damage for months.

"After this many years, I've done enough and it's time to retire," he said. Eisenbrandt feels he's getting better, but said it's a slow process. "I'm going to be incapable of doing a lot of things up to a year," said Eisenbrandt. It wasn't just due to his health problem that he made the decision. He also felt he should call it quits out of fairness to his "customers." Although Eisenbrandt won't be going into work on a regular bases and he won't be taking on any new cases, he will still be signing some legal papers for awhile. His present term will be up in August.

Meanwhile, Plains is looking for a replacement and will soon be advertising for candidates. Plains Mayor Dan Rowan said applicants need to be at least 18 years of age, a qualified voter in the state of Montana and Sanders County for a minimum of one-year preceding the appointment. Applicants should submit a resume, a letter of interest, and proof of residency. Applications can be sent to the mayor at P.O. Box 567, Plains, MT, 59859. The closing date for submission is July 31.