One day after being sworn in last year, Superior Court Judge Clint Bearden already was taking pleas and handling arraignments in Dawson County. Bearden was no stranger to this forum, but it comes with a whole new vista at the top of the bench. “Once you get into the routine of doing the work that you need to do that day, everything just fell into place,” he said. Bearden reflected on his first year and some of the difficult decisions a judge is tasked with, choices that sometimes may not be popular.