Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Former San Francisco Court Commissioner Publishes Book about

Life Behind the Courthouse Curtain

San Francisco, CA, February 6, 2012 – Going to traffic court can be an anxiety-riddled experience, as author and former San Francisco Court Commissioner Agatha Hoff knows well. She presided over family and traffic court cases for over 20 years, and shares a behind-the-courthouse-curtain view with readers in her new book of essays, Judge* Hoff, Jesus Loves You but the Rest of Us Think You're an A**hole!

The book title was taken from a disgruntled litigant's message for Commissioner Hoff, left graffiti style on the courthouse bathroom wall. Agatha saw the humor in it, and realizes that stressful situations often bring out the worst in people. Her essays touch on everything from out-of-towners trying to navigate San Francisco's parking and traffic laws, to local prostitutes she got to know by sharing the same courthouse bathroom.

"I enjoy sharing the quirks of the human race with others, and find many things that happen are funny and poignant at the same time," says Agatha.

She mentions that when people find out she presided over traffic court, they want to know any tips she has for people going before a judge. Her response?

"The truth shines forth like a beacon. Stick with it and you should do OK. If you are intimidated by the black-robed figure of the judge, visualize him sitting there in his underwear. That will have an immensely humanizing effect."

Judge* Hoff, Jesus Loves You but the Rest of Us Think You're an A**hole! is a collection of essays about the author's life in and out of court, and is available on Amazon.com.

About the Author

Agatha Hoff was hired in 1981 by the San Francisco Municipal Court and presided in Traffic Court for 13 years. In l994, she became a Superior Court Commissioner and was assigned to Family Court, where the litigants’ problems were thornier but equally varied. Now retired, Agatha is an avid long distance bicyclist, riding 5,000 miles a year. When she’s not bicycling, she is writing. Her novel, Burning Horses, a Hungarian Life Turned Upside Down, was published to critical acclaim in 2010.