For Kern County Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Clark, being a judge is the next best thing to being a lawyer.
Clark was a veteran civil litigator with nearly 200 trials under his belt when he was appointed to the bench by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010.
At that time, he was planning to retire in San Diego, but when it came time to fold up his practice, Clark realized he couldn't leave the courtroo... (continued)