A judge presides over legal proceedings and makes decisions or judgments on a variety of cases. Their primary responsibilities are to ensure that all parties have a fair opportunity to present evidence and argue their case, and that they follow established laws, regulations, and legal precedents in the decision making process. Judges also analyze statutes, regulations, and legal precedents to determine their meaning and how they should be applied to specific cases. They write opinions to help others understand the legal reasoning behind their decisions.
The Powers, Functions, Method of Appointment, and Discipline of Judges vary widely across jurisdictions. Regardless of how judges are selected, trained, and supported, they are expected to be fair and impartial. Judges are the guardians of justice, and as such, they have a profound impact on our society. Their work is challenging, carries heavy levels of responsibility, and requires long hours.
Temperament and Judges
Several research studies have linked a judge’s personality and behaviors to the accuracy of their judgments. However, results have been inconsistent. This may be due to the fact that a judge’s temperament is only one factor in the overall judgment process. The other factors include the available cues (which are relevant to a judge’s personality), the ability to detect these cues, and the judge’s ability to utilize them effectively to make a decision.
The most generally advantageous temperamental profiles for judges are those that reflect high levels of trait positivity, particularly kindness, combined with moderate levels of self-regulatory capacity. Such traits are predicted to support judges’ capacity to withstand the emotional demands of their jobs and to consistently display patience, compassion, respect, and level-headedness, avoiding extremes of negative emotions like anger.