Anyone who shows up in Rusty Ladd’s courtroom as he takes the bench in the morning will be asked to participate in a ritual that Texas schoolchildren perform every day. But he hopes people will remember why he asks them to place their hands over their hearts.
“We say the Pledge of Allegiance every day, whether it’s two people or 20,” Ladd says. “I walk in the door, and I don’t require participation but certainly invite everybody to join in. It’s just to remind everyone of the privileges and duties and rights and responsibilities we all have.”
