Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern may be retiring to Puerto Rico

photo Judge Rebecca Stern speaks speaks from the bench in this file photograph from 2013.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Rebecca Stern said Friday she is strongly considering retiring to her Puerto Rico beach house in 2014.

"I haven't made a 100 percent decision, but I'm heading in that direction," Stern, 57, said.

If she does leave office, her replacement likely will be among the first under the new Council for Judicial Appointments that Gov. Bill Haslam announced last week.

It's been mere months since Stern was re-elected, after running unopposed, to another eight-year term. She presides over Division II and has been a judge for 18 years. Before accepting her appointment, she worked for eight years in the office of the district attorney general. She would have been eligible for retirement last October, she said.

She and her husband, attorney Doug Curtis, have owned a vacation home in Puerto Rico for about eight years. It's long been an escape for the couple, and they've always wanted to retire there, she said.

Stern said she will not make a final decision until Feb. 1. If she steps down, her replacement would be chosen by a three-person panel that would be appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam.

Stern pointed out that she could have retired even before she sought re-election.

She did not, she said, because the timing wasn't right.

"I just wasn't really ready," she said.

But now, things seem to be lining up.

Stern's father-in-law had been sick for some time, she said, and she and her husband wanted to stay and take care of him. He died in early October. And after that, she said, she and her husband started seriously speaking about spending all their time in Puerto Rico.

In the past, Stern also has been tied to regular visits to doctors. In January, she'll celebrate five years free of breast cancer, a milestone that makes her more comfortable with moving away.

"It's sort of like a lot of things came together at the same time," she said.

To choose the replacement, an 11-member council appointed by Haslam would hold a public hearing and send the names of three qualified candidates to the governor, who would choose whom to appoint, Haslam spokesman David Smith said.

Michele Wojciechowski, with the Administrative Office of the Courts, said the replacement would serve until the next scheduled judicial election in August 2016.

She said that filling the vacancy at the trial judge level would not involve Amendment 2, the judicial selection constitutional amendment voters approved Nov. 4.

Assistant District Attorney General Leslie Longshore said she would consider seeking the appointment.

"If she does in fact choose to step down, I am certainly interested," Longshore said.

Stern said Assistant District Public Defender Mike Little also approached her and expressed interest in the position. Little recently joined the Public Defender's office. He could not be reached for comment Friday.

Stern emphasized that she hasn't yet made a decision. But barring unforeseen circumstances, she said, she'll probably choose to leave by June 1.

She said she doesn't think it would be ethical to weigh in on her replacement.

"It's my job right now, but it's not mine to give away," Stern said.

Contact staff writer Claire Wiseman at cwiseman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347.

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