Tom participated in swimming and sport fighting events from his youth, through college, law school, and into his career as an attorney and trial judge. Tom served on the trial bench in Washington and traveled on a circuit to hear matters on federal Indian reservations. He would frequently appear in court, on the bench, with notable injuries, earning the unusual reputation of being a fighting judge. On several occasions, he aided officers in breaking up fights between parties. He once, subdued a prisoner who had been fighting with a police officer in the courtroom.
