Anna R. Rapa (Oceana County Probate Court, Michigan, candidate 2024)
From Ballotpedia
Anna R. Rapa ran for election for judge of the Oceana County Probate Court in Michigan. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.[source]
Rapa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Anna R. Rapa provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 19, 2024:
- Birth date: July 15, 1979
- Birth place: Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Bachelor's: Cornerstone University, 2000
- J.D.: Thomas Cooley Law School, 2007
- Graduate: Bethany Center for Graduate Studies, 2015
- Gender: Female
- Religion: Christian
- Profession: Judge
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
General election
General election for Oceana County Probate Court
Eric R. Fox and Anna R. Rapa ran in the general election for Oceana County Probate Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
Eric R. Fox (Nonpartisan)  | ||
 | Anna R. Rapa (Nonpartisan) | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Oceana County Probate Court
Eric R. Fox, Ryan L. Good, and Anna R. Rapa ran in the primary for Oceana County Probate Court on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Eric R. Fox (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Ryan L. Good (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Anna R. Rapa (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rapa in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Anna R. Rapa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rapa's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am the current Referee at Oceana County Court. Before that I was a solo practice attorney for more than 15 years. Before that I was in youth ministry in the inner city. And before that I was a pastor's kid and missionary kid.
All of these things have made me who I am today, which is a person of thoughtfulness, compassion, and concern for the value and experience of all the people who come before me in court. I am committed to listening well to the stories that people tell and studying the law as much as needed to make the right decision for every family. I'm committed to listening to the feedback of the people I work with and the community so that I have all the information I need to serve the needs of the community in their local court. I am passionate about fairness and the humane treatment of all people in a legal system that often feels both overwhelming and inhumane. This is especially important in the probate court, where vulnerable adults and children have decisions made for them.
- Your Family Matters - This probate court serves not just grieving families going through probate, but also broken families who need the court's intervention to get divorced or manage child-related decisions like custody or parenting time. I strongly believe that your family--in whatever state it is in--matters. And all the humans within your family matter. The way I demonstrate this is by listening carefully and researching the law as much as is needed to decide a case. I treat people with respect and dignity and give them space to tell their stories through legally admissible evidence. I'm committed to never making a decision for your family until I've considered all the facts and the law appropriately.
- Judicial Experience Matters - Being a lawyer and being a judge are two different things. A lawyer is an advocate--someone who evaluates your case, gives you legal advice, and then does their very best to make the most persuasive argument to the finder of fact and of law. A judge is different. A judge must remain neutral until the evidence is received and the law is evaluated. A judge must listen to all sides and give every person an equal opportunity to present their case. A judge must hold themselves apart from certain activities so as to maintain a professional and judicial demeanor. As the Oceana Court Referee, I have already been doing these things for more than 3 years. I am ready to step into this role.
- Faith and Values Matter - My faith is central to my life and affects my work as a Referee. My faith teaches me that all people are equally valuable, no matter who they are or how much they have. My faith teaches me to value reconciliation and restoration of things that are broken. And though in this world we will never have perfect restoration, there are ways that a judge can help lead people toward more healthy and life-giving ways of relating to other people and society at large. I am always considering the question of how the system of law and justice can also be a system that helps people take steps toward healing and reconciliation.
I am passionate about restorative justice and problem-solving courts. It's very easy to see the law in black and white. But people are incredibly nuanced, and so are people's problems. Restorative justice gives people the opportunity to restore the things they have broken through mediation or other things. Problem-solving courts look at the extremely human reasons people end up breaking laws or creating problems in their own lives--and then seeks to help address those underlying issues. Many times court problems are more a symptom of something else than the cause. These approaches to law are more holistic than other approaches and I think they do a better job at addressing many of the reasons people end up in court.
I believe that the principles of service to the community are most important for an elected official.
The core responsibilities of a judge are to listen to people and properly evaluate and apply the law to the facts of the case. For a probate judge dealing with vulnerable adults and children, another core responsibility is to patiently provide space and time for real humans and their problems and emotions.
I worked at a summer camp, and I loved it. It was a temporary summer job, and I was only 17, but I was a camp counselor (now called a cabin leader), and hung out with kids and entertained them for a week away from their families in the woods. I loved the outdoor activities (which is also probably why I love Oceana County), and I enjoyed the teamwork of the summer camp staff experience.
Yes. I understand why people might not appreciate this quality in a person judging criminal matters, for a probate court judge it is essential. You either have people dealing with the loss of a loved one and needing to attend to all the physical realities of death and property, or you have children and families that are suffering broken relationships. All of these people need empathy and understanding in the midst of these difficult times.
I am running for this seat because the staff at the courthouse asked me to, and because I believe that I am well qualified to do the job. And not only is my experience broad and deep, but I have the disposition to be a good judge because of my patience and kindness to the people in the courtroom. Whatever the legal problems that bring you into the courtroom, you want a judge who can actually take the time to hear what you're saying, understand the facts, and make the right legal decisions. I am that person. I am already doing that part of the job as the Court Referee.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
