In 1976, Superior Court Judge David Soukup of Seattle, Washington, saw a recurring problem in his courtroom.

In criminal and civil cases, even though there were always many different points of view, he could walk out of the courthouse at the end of the day and say, “I’ve done my best; I can live with this decision.”

But when a case involved a child – and decisions that would shape that child’s path into adulthood – he often wondered whether he had enough information.

Had he really been told everything he needed to know? Was the decision truly right for the child?

To ensure he was getting all the facts and that each child’s long-term welfare was represented, Judge Soukup obtained funding to recruit and train community volunteers to step into courtrooms on behalf of children: the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers.