For over a decade, Scott Fairgrieve served the Village of Mineola as a trustee. Beginning Thursday, Fairgrieve is serving the residents of Nassau County in a new capacity. His new role requires him to wear black robes and sit on a bench. It requires him to hear both sides of an argument and methodically come to a reasonable solution. It is a role Fairgrieve is looking forward to as he serves in District Court of the 3rd District, which encompasses the entire Town of North Hempstead.

On Thursday, Fairgrieve was sworn in during an induction ceremony to the position he was elected to this past November. The election proved to be a trying time for Fairgrieve. His wife, Linda, a current trustee in the Village of Mineola, was scheduled to undergo open heart surgery. In fact, election day was the same day Linda was scheduled for her pre-operation testing.

In addition, as Fairgrieve was busy campaigning, he had the responsibility of organizing the Mineola Mustang Run, which is a marathon held to benefit various Mineola organizations.

But, for Fairgrieve, everything turned out well as he was elected a judgeship after serving 25 years as an attorney and the Mineola Mustang Run was once again successful. Most importantly, though, Linda has made a remarkable recovery. Fittingly, Linda made a speech prior to Fairgrieve taking the oath of office.

Linda Fairgrieve expressed the happiness she felt for her husband, saying that becoming a judge is a dream come true for Scott, who, she said, would make a good judge because he is well qualified, he cares and is a hard worker. "I know my husband will make an excellent judge," she said.

Fairgrieve was then sworn in by Arthur D. Spatt, judge in the U.S. District Court. Swearing in Fairgrieve has become a routine for Spatt. Thursday marked the seventh time Spatt has sworn in Fairgrieve to an elected position. Spatt also administered the oath of office to Linda Fairgrieve when she took office as a village trustee.

Spatt called Fairgrieve a highly motivated, hard-working and courageous public official. Also on hand to see the ceremony were Fairgrieve's children, Ross and Tara.

During his speech, Fairgrieve, who will serve a six-year term, said he felt like the luckiest person alive. "Judges in Nassau County are people of high quality," he added. Fairgrieve then proceeded to thank everyone who helped him get to his new position.

As a District Court judge, Fairgrieve will be handling criminal cases, landlord/tenant disputes, small claims, cases in which negligence was involved and contractual matters. Although district court has limited jurisdiction, it still affects people's lives

Prior to the induction of the six new district court judges, M. Kathryn Meng, president of the Nassau County Bar Association, emphasized the importance of district court, saying that for the majority of residents, it is their first encounter with the justice system.