Courtroom drawings by Joe McKay.
REFRESH, 2007
Kristin Lucas
Courtroom Intervention
On October 5, 2007 the artist became the most current version of herself when she succeeded in legally changing her name from Kristin Sue Lucas to Kristin Sue Lucas in a Superior Court of California courtroom. On the petition that she submitted, Kristin wrote: “Refresh“. as the reason for the name change. After a philosophical debate on perception of change, and two hearing dates, the presiding judge who granted the request said‘ “So you have changed your name to exactly what it was before in the spirit of refreshing yourself as though you were a web page.”
Kristin submitted a petition for the name change on July 19th, 2007 and a court hearing date was set for September 22th, 2007. She placed a public notice in a local newspaper (this is a requirement for the name change procedure) – the ad ran for four weeks in August 2007. The first court hearing took place on September 22th (“BEFORE” drawing). The second court hearing took place on October 5th when her name was changed and consequently refreshed (“AFTER” drawing).
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of Alameda, Rene C. Davidson Alameda County Courthouse Case No. RG07336497 Date: September 21, 2007 Petitioner: Kristin Sue Lucas Petitioner represented by: Kristin Sue Lucas Judge: The Honorable Frank Roesch
JR: Kristin Lucas… You are the last one on the calendar today, Miss Lucas. Because I really don’t quite understand. This process requires a change to be taking place. And you’re not asking for anything to change. You’re asking for this order that to you stays the same.
KL: I have prepared a brief statement. um, to read to the court, if I may.
JR: You may.
KL: Okay. Your honor I am hear for a refresh. A renewal of self. I consider this act to be a poetic gesture and a birthday gift. I am ready for an update. An intervention into my life. I am here to be born again as myself, or at the very least, the most current version of myself. I am prepared to let go. To empty my cache. To refill the screen with the same information. To reboot knowing that the new Kristin Lucas may experience a tremendous sense of loss, detachment, or disappointment, or joy. Kristin Lucas is ready for change. And Kristin Lucas awaits her replacement.
JR: But it’s not a change.
KL: I feel it is a change if it’s entered into the system. And it’s. it’s like, like uh, like uhm, honoring your vows in marriage. It’s… uh. It’s… I’m considering it like a rebirth or a renewal. Uhm… For me it feels like a change would take place the moment between a name that exists and then rewriting the same name. If I write my name over and over on a page, my name is different every time I write it. Because it’s. it’s about time, it’s about experiencing it as the moment. So I, I ask you to please honor my, my name change and give me this chance for intervention in my life.
JR: The law does not, in which you have placed yourself into, is procedure to make a name change. Not a spiritual change, not a change of a relationship to yourself, not a change of… not a refresh as on a computer screen where you want to refresh a website. Uhm… The law only provides this process for people that are changing their names. Mostly people change their names because of their self-identity or their religious beliefs. Or there, or there were changes in a relationship that they cannot accept… but the process isn’t set up to avoid giving an opportunity to come together in a spiritual or emotional way.
KL: Or just, everyday affirmation of self, is also what I had in mind.
JR: The court‘s not in the business of humor. The system of laws that we have isn‘t set up to either help or hinder a person from doing that. I am… There is a disconnect in my mind. That a person’s personal sense of identity and relationship towards the world. and the way the law treats them. I’m, I’m… I have considerable amount of difficulty in… taking that word change and entering an order that doesn’t include any change… other than your perception of change. And that’s not what’s on the paper. All I’m doing is changing the paper.
KL: I have the feeling that the technology that we have available can make that change for us. It’s like, replacing information. The computer, the technology, the system has a way of erasing you, and, and i feel that, uhm… this is a change I have seen in my lifetime. And I, l just, I’m really interested. in… just reestablishing, uhm… I felt I had laid that out for you but it’s difficult to describe. I don’t feel that this intervention into my life, or into the system is in any way a danger to the system, or, or to myself, and no one has appeared here to object this change. And I also respect your…
JR: But it’s not a change.
KL: I should have brought a philosopher… I feel, I feel it, it is a change. Moment to moment in my life I experience many changes and I am looking for the approval of the court to just to kind of sanction that change for me.
JR: How many more times are you going to come to the court and change your name, because you’re changing every fifteen minutes, or…?
KL: Well, I’ve been thinking about this change for a year and it brought me here today and i would like to experience what the differences might be. I can’t make that decision about how many times I might need a refresh. But I want to respect the court’s time, as well.
JR: Well…
KL: And I’m not here to abuse the system.
JR: I, I don’t think that you are.
KL: Okay. Thank you.
JR: And I don’t mind the time. I just don’t know that l have the legal authority to change your name when it’s not a change. The code sections talk about changing. Can I give you an order that doesn’t change your name at all? That keeps your name the same? Is that the same as granting a name change? And I think not.
And I’m going to do this. I’m going to continue this matter for two weeks… and try to think about these issues in this time…
KL: Thank you.
JR: I’ll try to puzzle out in my mind whether I aught to do it. Um, clearly the law gives me the discretion given here to make a name change or not, um…. But l do need to know in my own mind that the law permits me to do it. I know that the law permits me to say “no”, but does the law permit me to say “yes”, is the second question. And I’ll go do some legal research, quite frankly it is the first time anybody has come here and tried to do this.
KL: Thank you I appreciate your time, thank you.
JR: So, it’s going to be on October fifth. I’ll see you back on that day.
KL: Thank you.
JR: And you don’t have to sit down because you’re not going to be taking any papers with you today.
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of Alameda, Rene C. Davidson Alameda County Courthouse Case No. RG07336497 Date: October 5, 2007 Petitioner: Kristin Sue Lucas Petitioner represented by: Kristin Sue Lucas Judge: The Honorable Frank Roesch
JR: Kristin Sue Lucas… Well I must say that I spent probably way too much time thinking about this situation. I think it’s a nutty idea, it’s not really a name change, but I’m going to do it. Uh…
KL: Thank you your honor.
JR: So you have changed your name to exactly what it was before in the spirit of refreshing yourself as though you were a web page.
KL: Thank you your honor.
JR: Stay here and we’ll have some paper work for you.
