CASA Spotlight: A Tribute to Judge David Soukup

Judge David Soukup: 1933:2023

This month’s Spotlight is a little different as we pay tribute to the man who founded the CASA program, Judge David Soukup.

In 1977, while sitting as a judge in juvenile court, Judge Soukup realized that he needed help. There was no one in the courtroom who could provide him information about the children who were coming into his courtroom through no fault of their own, and those children needed voices to speak up for them. He said, “Who is more unable to represent themselves than a 3-4, 4-,5, 10-year old child?” He had his bailiff contact some community members who might be interested in coming to a meeting to talk about advocating for children. When he walked into the room, Judge Soukup saw fifty people waiting to help, and he knew then that the idea would work.

In the beginning of the program, Judge Soukup was asked if he were worried about volunteers becoming emotionally involved with the children. His answer was, “If they don’t, we have the wrong volunteers.” CASA volunteers are the keepers of the child’s story and advocate for the child to find a safe, stable, and permanent home. In reality, they do so much more, such as being a consistent adult in the child’s life and following the case through to the end, often for twelve months or longer.

The program took off and became a great success. In 1982, the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association was established in Seattle, WA. CASA programs around the country are known by several different names including Guardian ad Litem, Child Advocates, and Voices for Children. There are over 100,000 advocates who serve children in nearly 1,000 state and local program offices. Approximately a quarter of a million children are served by the CASA program every year, and that’s an amazing legacy to leave.

When Judge Soukup retired, he moved to the other side of the bench and became a CASA volunteer himself. He said, “It was an extraordinary experience, both the hardest – and the best- thing I’ve ever done.”

The CASA program is grateful for Judge Soukup’s compassion and for finding a thoughtful solution to a problem that has helped and continues to help so many of our nation’s children.