Q. What does it feel like to be a Democrat in a conservative state?

A. Well, it’s pretty lonely. I wouldn’t classify the state as conservative. It’s just the fact that people who are getting elected to a lot of the positions profess to be conservative, but I would think the state is much more broad-minded than that. It’s frustrating, too. I’ve never regretted changing over to being a Democrat. Right now we just don’t have any statewide leadership to turn to. The days of Bob Bullock and Ann Richards and Pete Laney and those guys, who were all great leaders, they’ve either retired or passed away.

Q. Why did you switch parties?

A. The Republican Party just basically got taken over by the Tea Party. To me, conservative is a term that is not realistic in today’s world. Nobody goes to a hospital and says bring out the conservative doctor. Nobody’s company says we’re going to put out the most conservative product we can. To me, if you’re not progressive then you’re regressive.

[Our photographer, Tamir Kalifa, enters. After some small talk, in which Judge Myers learns Mr. Kalifa is from Maryland, he points out the flags draped in front of his bookcases, including the state flags of Maryland and California, where I grew up.]

A friend of mine had a flag store, and I’ve always kind of liked cotton flags. And so he let me have all the cotton flags because everything is going over to some kind of synthetic fabric. And then I went to the University of Virginia for law school, so I’ve spent some time up that way, and I’ve always thought the Maryland flag was kind of cool. Manny, I got your California flag, and obviously Old Glory. This is a flag of England. And this is a flag that the colonists flew at Bunker Hill, so it’s a colonial flag. I think I brought in Ray Charles to decorate this place here.

Q. What do you do if you need a lawbook behind one of the flags?

A. All that stuff’s online now. If I need a badminton racket or a duck decoy, I’ve got all that stuff. And if you guys want to shoot a few free throws, we’ll do that. I apologize. I’ve been in this location for about 20 years, and it’s just accumulated.