SPRINGFIELD — Stephen Sims has already made his case. He believes the qualifications and temperament he has developed over his 42-year legal career are ample evidence that he is the best candidate to sit on Effingham County’s State Court bench.

“I’m not a politician,” Sims said. “Self-promotion has never been my goal, contrary to what people see out of TV lawyers (in commercials).”

Sims, who has a private law practice in Springfield, is a candidate to succeed Ronald K. Thompson. In January, Gov. Brian Kemp picked Thompson to become the Ogeechee Circuit’s fourth Superior Court judge. 

Unlike candidates for most elective officials, judicial hopefuls aren’t in a position to make a lot of promises to voters. They are left to stand primarily on their reputation.

“I can’t change their taxes, I can’t pave their street and I can’t end the war in Ukraine or anything like that,” Sims said. “Running for judge is just a difficult thing to do. Basically, it comes down to qualifications and temperament.”

Sims thinks his counterparts in local legal circles are solid witnesses for him.

“Fortunately, most of the lawyers I deal with with the Effingham Bar (Association) tell me they support me,” Sims said.

Sims has had “a trial run” as State Court judge the last few months. Thompson signed an order naming him, Grady Reddick, Donald Sheppard and Melissa Calhoun judge pro-tem before heading to his new post.

“I’m honored that Judge Thompson thought enough of me to give me to appoint me to that position,” Sims said.

Sims, a 1980 Mercer University and Walter F. George School of Law graduate, grew up in Jones County. He practiced in Savannah until 2004 when he started working in Effingham County. He intends to close his practice if he is elected.

Sims has spent the bulk of his 42-year career handling civil cases. He is confident, however, that his knowledge of criminal law is more than sufficient to hold the position he seeks.

“State Court is misdemeanors,” he said. “From a criminal standpoint, it’s anything that has a sentence of less than a year which, around here, is traffic, simple assault, shoplifting and those kinds of things. Ninety-nine percent of the people that have any kind of (criminal) attachment to State Court are going to be there for a traffic ticket.”

Sims’ experience has been questioned by his opponent,  Steve Yekel.

“I’ve tried a lot cases,” Sims said. “I’ve tried as many cases as he has. I just prefer to let my work speak for itself.”

If elected, Sims intends to operate State Court in the same manner that resulted in Thompson receiving a promotion.

“I am trying to imitate him in every way,” Sims said.

 Sims thinks he has been an exemplar of professionalism during his temporary stint with the State Court gavel.

“I’ve gotten no complaints in two and a half months from anybody,” he said.

Fairness is a courtroom goal, Sims said.

“All you want is an equal chance, in a criminal case or a civil case, to present your side within the rules and let the jury decide — or let the judge decide if it’s in front of him,” he said. “I just think it’s important to have a nice, non-egotistical temperatment.”

Sims thinks his understated demeanor would serve him well as State Court judge.

“You can’t be focused on yourself,” he said. “You have to be focused on the case and, obviously, your hands are tied for the most part by what comes into evidence because of evidence rules and how things are done with procedure rules. If you insert yourself into a case because of your own ego, experience or whatever, you are not doing justice.”