by David Ball
Staff Writer
Jacksonville attorney Michelline Haynes Ruth, wife of Duval County Judge James Ruth, is the first to admit that the couple’s lively discussions can sometimes turn their home into a courtroom.
“I can’t actively say we argue, but we have debate,” said Ruth, the Jacksonville staff counsel for Geico insurance. “It’s not unusual for us to start out disagreeing, but by the time we finish I’ve changed his mind and he’s changed my mind, so we still end up disagreeing.”
As for who wins the most “debates,” Ruth says it’s the judge. The judge has a different opinion.
“No, she wins the debates,” laughed Judge Ruth. “We both have really strong personalities, but I have learned that it’s more important to be happy than be right.”
Both are oldest children, and both are natural born leaders, or “drivers” as wife Ruth calls it, and neither likes giving up the wheel. In fact, Ruth said the two didn’t really get along when they first met at the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office some 18 years ago, and it took them 10 years of dating before finally deciding to marry.
But this legal power couple found a balance and forged a strong and loving partnership. Judge Ruth became the public figure, and Michelline Ruth is just as happy being the woman behind the scenes. Plus, it’s obvious who really wears the robe in this family.
“James handles the car stuff, the critters and the outside of the house,” she said, followed by a slight pause and grin. “I handle everything else.”
Michelline Ruth, 51, stands as a petite, soft-spoken woman, but she exudes confidence gained through an impressive legal career that began at Georgetown Law School in the early 1980s.
The daughter of a civil rights leader, Ruth first entered civil rights law but found the practice lacking the courtroom excitement she was looking for. A friend then told her about the U.S. military’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) programs, and she learned about an opportunity with the Army in Hawaii.
“I don’t even know what the other choices were,” said Ruth. “I heard, ‘Hawaii,’ and I was gone.”
After an abbreviated basic training, Ruth began her JAG duties of advising commanders on legal issues regarding soldiers’ rights and rules of engagement. She prosecuted thefts, AWOL soldiers and even homicide. As a defender, she handled cases from rape to policemen’s conduct. She got all the courtroom experience she was looking for before the age of 30, and she got a whole lot more.
“What I went for was to see Hawaii, get trial experience and get out of D.C., which was a shark tank for lawyers,” said Ruth, who now thinks “all Americans should have a military obligation.”
Ruth, not satisfied with her mere status as captain, enrolled in a combat-oriented air assault program, where she conquered her small fear of heights by rappelling out of helicopters.
“If there was one thing that was character building, it was those two weeks,” said Ruth, who now calmly enjoys her office view from the 32nd floor of the Modis building.
“Their motto was winners never quit and quitters never win,” she continued. “If you think about that, you may not come out the victor all the time, but you can be a winner nonetheless.”
It’s a motto that carried her through her time as a personal injury attorney in Pensacola, her 10 years at the State Attorney’s Office handling cases in every division and her current role with Geico. Today, she manages three other lawyers handling claims for minor fender-benders to accident-caused brain damage. “We either get it settled or try the hell out of it,” she said.
At home, Ruth manages the household, the couple’s 10-year-old daughter Shaina and, of course, the judge.
“I see myself as having a supporting role on everything, from when I feel he needs more rest or screening people who want to see him,” said Ruth. “He does a lot of things in and around the community, and if I was running around doing everything as well, it would be too much. So I feel some of my community service is making sure he’s got the support he needs.”
For one of the few times in her life, Ruth said she’s content with her career and her life in general. “I’m just sitting back and digging the view,” she said. “I’m not looking around the curve or over the mountain.”
However, she may not be as content for her husband, who she feels has more gifts and talents that could serve even more people, possibly the entire state.
“I would love to see him do something political,” said Ruth, although her husband says he’s staying put. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to measure the Governor’s mansion right away, but I think he would make a great governor.”
And she, of course, would continue to be the Ruth behind the Ruth. “I wouldn’t miss those photo opps for the world.”