BELFAST — When considering whether his new position behind the bench will feel strange, given his 20-plus years of service in front of it as a prosecutor, Eric Walker concedes it might initially be a little "weird," although prosecutors and judges share much in common.

"[As a prosecutor] it's not just about winning the case, it's about doing the right thing and getting justice," said Walker.

While making the final ruling will be new, decision-making is old hat.

"[District Attorneys] decide whether or not to try a case," he said. "The public doesn't see that, but we are in a sense judging cases for strength."

Walker attended a military college in Vermont, fully intending on a military career.

"I was going to fly like my father and brother," he said. After passing all the required tests, he was unable to continue due to a medical issue.

Walker decided to take the Law School Admission Test after graduating, "just to see how I would do," he said.

He did well, really well in fact, and decided to apply to law school in Boston, where he was accepted.

It wasn't until after his second year of law school that he discovered his passion for criminal law. Walker was allowed to try criminal cases while volunteering for Bath's then-Assistant District Attorney (and current District Attorney for District 6) Geoffery A. Rushlau and was fascinated by the process.

"Every day was new and exciting," he said. [Criminal law] fascinated me, and it's been the same way ever since."

Walker began his legal career in Rockland, working as a prosecutor, traveling between Belfast and Rockland. Eventually, he started working full time in Belfast as Assistant District Attorney before being appointed Deputy District Attorney for Waldo County, a move that allowed others to benefit from Walker's extensive experience.

"Working as Deputy DA was a big challenge for me," he said. "You still have your own case load, but you are also asked to help [colleagues with their cases] frequently."

Though the title often equates to additional work, Walker said he has always enjoyed being able to help.

"It's nice to know all that experience can help others," he said.

Walker said the idea of becoming a judge wasn't something he gave a lot of thought to until a couple years ago. Walker was asked to visit the chambers of two different judges, both who "strongly encouraged me to apply," he said.

The decision wasn't a simple one.

"I had to talk to my family," he said.

Becoming a judge will mean working further from home, translating to less time with his wife and children.

"It's tough to be the spouse or child of a judge," he said. Fortunately for Walker, his family is supportive.

Though the Senate voted unanimously April 2 in favor of Walker, the journey to become a judge has not been without bumps.

Walker initially applied to fill an opening left by a judge who was vacating a position in Ellsworth District Court. After interviewing with a Judicial Selection Committee — a "nerve-wracking" experience where "a board of eight people sit around a table with you at one end and them at another" — there was nothing to do but wait.

"You leave not knowing how it went," he said.

Walker wasn't chosen to fill that judgeship, but undaunted, applied again when Judge David Kennedy, of West Bath District Court, announced his retirement in Autumn 2013. He met with a Judicial Selection Committee again in January and received a call in February setting up a meeting with Governor Paul LePage.

Soon after that interview, Walker was told he had been nominated for the position, and another step of the long and nuanced process was completed.

Walker decided to prepare for the next step, appearing before the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary, by observing some of their other hearings, "so I had an idea of what to expect," he said. The committee, which was tasked with deciding whether or not to approve Walker's nomination, listened to background information and the reasons he had been chosen before hearing from Walker himself, who prepared a speech.

Following a brief question and answer period, "they open the floor up to anyone who wants to speak in favor of the nomination." Those there to support Walker included Geoffery Rushlau, former four-term legislator David Lindahl, and defense attorney Randy Mailloux, among others.

"Basically they're just there to attest to your character, both [on] and [off] the job," Walker said.

The last step in the process was mercifully swift.

"They call for a vote then and there," he said of the final hurdle. The 12 members voted unanimously in support of Walker, then each came by to congratulate him.

While the votes spell the beginning of one journey, they are the end of another. With the affirmative results comes a dissolution of any professional affiliation with the District Attorney's Office in Belfast, a measure used to ensure Walker never presides over a case he handled as a prosecutor.

Adjusting to life without his longtime colleagues is not something he is looking forward to.

"Missing people will be hard, and not just members D.A.'s Office or courts, but the public, too. Even people I've [had incarcerated]," he said "I see [past defendants] and many don't hold any ill will. I've even had some thank me."

All that remains of the long and window journey to judgeship is Walker's official swearing in, set to occur May 2 in Bangor.

Afterward there will be training and job shadowing with other judges before Walker will sit behind the bench alone, "I'll probably be working in the Bangor, Newport, Waterville and Augusta areas," he said.

Until then Walker will grapple with an issue unfamiliar: how to best fill his days over the next four weeks. "My wife has a long list of things for me to do," he joked. After the month is up he will return to a schedule perhaps more hectic than the one he just left.

"It can be very stressful," he said, of his chosen profession. But, it is one he appreciates.

"I'm lucky and blessed to have a job I love," Walker said, glancing around his long-time office. "And it will be the same with my new job."

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com