The trial court denied both motions and we affirmed. See id . O'Neill does not help Olsen. There is no condition precedent listed except perhaps that the court must act within twenty days of its original decision. There is no requirement, therefore, that the reason for the reconsideration must have been a subject of discussion, testimony or debate at the original trial or hearing.
Good reason exists for such a rule.
A judge's job is to do justice. A judge endeavors to come to the right result. The law gives a judge the right to change his or her mind, so long as it is done in a timely fashion and the parties are given a fair chance to be heard. As was the case here, the state also allows a judge to engage in critical analytical thinking that was not at all considered by the court in the first instance. A judge should not have to live with the consequences of a decision that he or she, upon reflection, believes to be wrong.