It as a day the Halley family won't ever forget.
"He was so excited for this," Virginia Halley said.
The Maryland Judiciary helped Make-A-Wish grant 16-year old Victor Halley's wish to become a judge for the day. Halley is battling end stage kidney disease and his family doesn't know how much longer he has to live, so they gave him his dream job in a Baltimore City district courtroom.
"I'm so happy he got to do this," Virginia, Victor's mom, said. "The hard part is we don't know how much longer we are going to have him so this came at the best time."
With the help of Honorable Jack Lesser, Halley presided over his first docket of cases: a bike robbery and a speeding ticket. He gave both hefty sentences: time in jail. It came after a lot of practice. Virginia said he has wanted to be a judge ever since he started watching court television during dialysis in the hospital.
"The next thing I know, he's ya know, said ordered in the court in his dialysis chair," Virginia said.
The practice paid off. Lesser was very impressed.
"If anyone ever asks me the best moment I had being a judge was, it was today," Lesser said. "Usually you are dealing with individuals who are having a very very difficult, depressing situation so to have a happy occasion in the court today made all the difference in the world to me."
Victor also probably got the most laughs ever heard in a courtroom, brightening everyone's day. Virginia said she's not surprised; that's just how amazing her son is.
"He's just such a positive kid, you know, for everything he's been through," Virginia said.
Although the cases were just pretend, the happy memories created will be very real for the Halley family for years to come.
