We live in a messy world where relationships go south, and people hurt each other, sometimes violently. The criminal justice system is meant to answer that harm. But what happens inside the mind and heart of the person handing down the sentences?

Judge Kristine Osterday took an unlikely road to the bench: a first-generation college student from a blue-collar family, who followed what she calls “a call she was smart enough not to get in the way of." In this conversation with host Rob Brenneman, she speaks candidly about faith and vocation, why she's passionate about presiding over one of the hardest dockets: domestic violence, and where she believes the justice system, faith communities, and the rest of us are still falling short.

Access more episodes: juststoriespodcast.org

Guest

Kristine A. Osterday: Judge of Elkhart County’s Superior Court 1.

Since 2018, Hon. Kristine A. Osterday (B.S. ’01) has served as a judge for the Elkhart County Superior Court. Born in Valparaiso, she grew up in Elkhart County and attended Northridge High School. She is a graduate of IU South Bend and Valparaiso School of Law.

Timecode

00:00 Intro

02:00 An unlikely path to the bench

06:00 Amish country, RVs, and the 80/90 corridor

08:30 Inside the domestic violence docket

13:00 Plea deals and the limits of the system

17:00 The complicated reality for survivors

20:30 Restorative justice and power imbalance

24:30 When faith communities look away

27:00 A magic wand and the Ten Commandments

31:30 Don't make us feel like Sisyphus

Credits

Host: Rob Brenneman

Senior Producer: Yebu Ji

Sound Engineering: Grant Bachman & Alex Dugger

Background Research: Alaina Wolfe

Illustrator: Senna Duan

Marketing Manager: Melissa Troyer

Audience Engagement Manager: Courtney Dobrzykowski

Directed by: Duane Stoltzfus

Music

Theme: Umbilical Moonrise by Lotus

Big River Run from Blue Dot Sessions

Eleven Count from Blue Dot Sessions

Just Stories is a collaboration of the Religion, Justice and Society Department and the Communications Department at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, part of the More Than Just Stories project, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Links

Elkhart Superior Court No. 1: https://elkhartcounty.com/en/government/courts/

National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org · 1-800-799-7233

Social media

Website: juststoriespodcast.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastjuststories/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podcastjuststories

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/just-stories-podcast

What does justice really mean, and how does faith shape our response to injustice? In this debut episode of Just Stories, hosts Rob Brenneman and Regina Shands Stoltzfus share the experiences that shaped their work, from Central America and refugee camps to classrooms and local jails. Through honest stories about faith, dignity, and our shared humanity, they explore how listening can become the first step toward justice.

Learn more at: juststoriespodcast.org

Credits

Host: Rob Brenneman & Regina Shands Stoltzfus

Senior Producer: Yebu Ji

Sound Engineering: Alex Dugger

Research Assistance: Alaina Wolfe

Illustrator: Senna Duan

Marketing Manager: Melissa Troyer

Audience Engagement Manager: Courtney Dobrzykowski

Directed by: Duane Stoltzfus

Music

Theme Music: Umbilical Moonrise by Lotus

Mint Martini by Blue Dot Sessions

Liptis by Blue Dot Sessions

Basic Curiosity by Blue Dot Sessions

Driptape by Blue Dot Sessions

Cheap Red by Blue Dot Sessions

Cloud Cannon by Blue Dot Sessions

Just Stories is a collaboration of the Religion, Justice and Society Department and the Communication Department at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, part of the More Than Just Stories project, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Links

Regina’s Published Works:

• Resistance, Resilience, and Radical Love: Reflections on Blackness and Teaching Peace, Tehom Center Publishing, 2025.
• Been in the Struggle: Pursuing an Antiracist Spirituality, Herald Press, 2021. (co-authored with Tobin Miller Shearer)

Rob’s Published Works:

• Homies and Hermanos: God and Gangs in Central America
• "Organized Crime, Disorganized Responses: New Research on Gangs and Organized Crime in Latin America,"
• Building Faith: A Sociology of Religious Structures
• Rob’s Personal Website

Just Stories is a podcast about the places where justice and faith intersect, and sometimes collide. Season 1 launches September 24th, with new episodes every other Thursday. Follow now so you don't miss the first one.