She was the first woman elected as district judge for the 23rd Judicial District and after three terms serving on the bench has decided to retire.
District Judge Cindy Ferrell Ashwood says she will retire at the end of her term in December of this year.
“My husband retired in 2018, and I’m ready to join him. I had made that decision a couple of years ago,” Ashwood added.
She noted, “I decided now to catch up with my husband. It’s certainly been an honor to serve.”
Ashwood said that the late Judge Glenn Dale Carter told her that he expected lawyers who appeared in his courtroom to be, “Prompt, professional and prepared. I have made it my goal to live up to that as a judge.”
She is a native of Chandler. Her parents are Don and Sally Ferrell.
The judge says she and her husband Albert have two children, Rachel and their son Donald and his wife Heather and a grandson Aiden.
“Albert retired in 2018 after serving many years as director of Oklahoma Emergency Management. We’re looking forward to spending more time on the farm with our grandson,” she said.
She said after graduating from Chandler High School, she attended the University of Oklahoma where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.
“One of my classes was editing and I learned to write more succinctly,” she said about taking the course.
Following graduation from OU in 1982, she entered law school and earned her Juris Doctor from the OU School of Law in 1985. “I was admitted to the bar that year,” she said, noting, “My husband Albert and I were married in 1984 and moved to Chandler after my graduation from law school.”
She was hired by Bill and Paul Vassar as an associate.
“In 1990 I became a partner in the firm. Bill passed away in 1991, and Paul and I practiced together until he became district judge in 1995.
“I then practiced law on my own until I was elected in 2010 and took the bench in January 2011.”
Ashwood also was the first woman in Lincoln County hired as an assistant district attorney, serving from 1991-1992 with Miles Zimmerman.
Before Ashwood ran in 2010, the last contested election for district judge was in 1954 when Don Powers was elected. He served for 28 years and Milton Craig was elected in 1982, serving a dozen years until his retirement in 1994, she said.
Judge Vassar was elected in 1994 and he served 16 years, retiring in 2010.
Ashwood believes, “I was preceded by highly respected judges from whom I learned a great deal.”
When she ran for election in 2010, Ashwood faced two opponents, Robert Thompson and Barney Barnett. “I had 49.3 percent of the vote in the primary, so Robert Thompson and I went on to the General Election in November and I won it,” she said.
Ashwood, pointing to some of the highlights explained, “Holding jury term during COVID was a real challenge, but we found a way to do it and it really worked.”
Elaborating on holding jury terms during COVID, the judge related, “I am very proud of how we have managed the courts during the pandemic. We have dockets every week and jury terms in February, June and October. After all courthouses were closed to the public in May, we began handling cases remotely. Once the courthouse reopened, we followed the CDC guidelines and limited the number of people in the courtrooms to 10.”
Ashwood emphasized, “Our county is served by a great court clerk’s office with Cindy Kirby at the helm.”
“The only jury term that was cancelled was the June 2020 term. We changed the way we conduct jury orientation, put up plexiglass in the courtrooms and reconfigured the seating for jury selection and trial. I required masks in our part of the courthouse,” she said.
Ashwood further explained, “During our October 2020 term, we all had face shields on. It was quite a sight. We had several locations around town reserved to use for jury selection when we have large numbers of people in attendance. We used the Methodist church basement for jury selection last year. Everyone was very accommodating. We all had to think outside of the box,” she stressed.
She said, “I particularly enjoy jury term. It’s very hard work and often involves early morning and late evening hearings outside the hearing of the jury so we don’t use jury time to resolve issues that arise. But, I enjoy the challenge of keeping one trial moving while planning for the next one to begin. I really enjoy interacting with the jurors.
“I have presided over criminal and civil trials, ranging from murder cases to oil and gas cases to personal injury cases. I’ve been so fortunate to have a wonderful staff. My bailiff Trish Hoover and court reporter Trish Lenora had many years of experience before I was elected, and thankfully they agreed to stay with me. They also plan to retire,” Ashwood stated.