My admiration for Jules D. Edwards III grew after his second campaign for City Court. Only a year earlier, he lost handily 57% to 43% to an attorney with no prior judicial experience despite his own 27 years as a judge. When the City Court judgeship opened again due to his opponent’s resignation, Judge Edwards came out of retirement to run once more for City Court.
During this second campaign, I interviewed the three candidates for Covenant Spotlight. For his interview, we talked for a couple of hours over his kitchen table as his wife Orida prepared dinner feet away. From this point on, I came to better appreciate a private, humble, disciplined yet not rigid, intellectually curious, patriotic and Christ centered husband and father. The interview is here CANDIDATE JULES EDWARDS – Covenant Spotlight After he won the City Court election, we reflected upon the campaign here HOW JULES EDWARDS III WON LAFAYETTE – Covenant Spotlight
Two things stood out to me about Jules Edwards as a man. First, after thoroughly losing an election to a far less qualified white candidate, the easy play for a minority candidate would have been to write off the majority electorate as bigoted. Jules Edwards never showed bitterness. He never wrote Lafayette off. Instead, he made himself vulnerable again. He still saw the opportunity to serve Lafayette, primarily in diverting youths away from the criminal system as judge, to be greater than the disappointment he risked if he lost again.
Second, Jules Edwards modelled what a Christian in the arena can look like in an age of extreme partisanship and patronage. Partisans alleged he had not helped the black community enough, others claimed he was too liberal. Instead, Jules Edwards pursued political independence and judicial principle as a candidate and judge. He avoided straying left or right. In other words, he acted as a Christian.
After the election, Judge Edwards occasionally sent me links to podcasts about practices in other cities which allowed greater public access to police bodycam footage. We both believed this enhances accountability in officers’ use of force and, therefore, could deter excessive force from happening here in the future. He encouraged me to become active in local reforms in this area. I hope with the help of others to follow his encouragement.
Judge Edwards died on October 15, 2024. After attending his funeral Saturday, I suspect his greatest impact on us is simple: Love Christ, love our wives, love others, and love our country. Serve each of these. Where are such men now? I am certain about one.
The Funeral of Jules D. Edwards III
Where is the man who sought good each day,
to neither right nor left would stray?
Where is the man who loved his wife,
and treasured her through all his life?
Where is the man who served his country,
ready to die to keep her free?
Where is the man who stood in the gap
against injustice where e’er may hap?
Where is the man who saw others’ worth,
as image bearers of divine birth?
Where is the man full of grace
speaking hard truths to others’ face?
Where is the man who loved the Christ,
from a servant’s heart whate’er the price?
Where is this man we ask this morn?
To his Jesus, he has gone.
Far from this world of hope, yet sin,
for those in Christ to see again.
JCL 10/26/24