Must have attributes for a student to become a judge
”Judges are real people with real-world experiences and backgrounds. We cannot expect them to erase their experiences and backgrounds from the mindset that informs their judicial decision-making.”
- Thomas Rex Lee
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings alone or with a panel of judges and who has the task of settling a legal dispute by applying the rule of law. Even so, the role of a judge varies between legal systems. In the adversarial system, with little exceptions, the power of a judge is shared with a jury, often selected from common citizens, who has the legal obligation of establishing someone’s guilt, while the judge has the sole purpose of ensuring the compliance with the legal procedures. In an inquisitorial system (usually in continental Europe), there is no jury and the main decision-making body is the judge who will assure the presiding, judging and sentencing on his own. Also, the judge is expected to apply the rule of law directly as it is said in the French expression “Le juge est la bouche de la loi” (The judge is the mouth of the law).
Nevertheless, all judges are required to conduct trials in an impartial manner and, typically, in an open court. The judge hears witnesses, listens to the pleadings of both parties, analyzes the presented materials and pieces of evidence, and only then, issues a ruling based on his or her understanding of the case in accordance with national and sometimes even international laws. All these requirements request a set of skills and attitudes for a person who dreams of wearing the black robe. Essentially, the person must complete all the necessary study years of Law School and have a good understanding of the theory and practice. The procedure for investing in the position of a judge may vary strongly from country to country, but the purpose of this article is not to present in detail all the technical requirements but to examine exactly what a student needs to consider this honorable profession. What does it really take for a person to say “You would make a great judge one day”?
In my opinion, the role of a judge goes beyond learning skills, memory abilities or high scores in law school, which are indeed required, but not sufficient for a future judge. It’s really about a type of mindset which can be found only in a small percentage of the world’s population. Not everyone can remain unwavering in certain situations and make valuable connections when a case is presented from two different perspectives (the defense and the prosecution). Moreover, you can definitely be the best lawyer anyone has ever seen, but at the same time an extremely bad judge.
It’s hard to make a comprehensive list of all the attitudes and abilities a student needs to consider the profession of a judge, rather because I strongly believe the talk should be focused primarily on a psychological basis, but I will try to compensate for the deficiency by creating an image of an individual who is presenting all the suitable attributes to become a judge.
First of all, judges must be able to effectuate extensive researches and process multitude of files and other case materials to be able to issue a fair and well-documented judgment. So, the student has to be a hardworking and motivated person driven by the feeling of justice and the desire of finalizing his or her work fast and appropriate. They need to be familiar with the country’s justice system and able to apply the rule of law accordingly.
Believe it or not, the process of making a decision is not just a strictly and directly appliance of laws, but it is followed by a process of connecting certain giving pieces of information with the purpose of finding the truth. It’s almost like resolving a math equation or a physics complicated problem, thus there is no surprise the student needs a rational mindset requiring excellent skills in logical reasoning, analysis, and decision-making. Moreover, we should never forget that law is the math of social sciences and practical mathematical analysis methods may be applied suitably.
Excellent writing skills are a must for a student who dreams to become a judge, considering the finality and authority of the documents written. By nature of the job, judges get in touch with different kinds of people all the time and almost all of them make opposite claims, so, good dispute resolution and a sociable character may become in handy. Also, considering the nature of the justice system, it’s only natural to ask for a perfect criminal record and good moral character as the judge has to set an example in a court of justice.
An organized mindset is probably required for almost all professions, but particularly in the job description of a judge considering the huge amount of cases on the role and the limited time in which a judge must be giving a verdict.
After all, a judge is a human being and he can issue all kinds of opinions mentally about individuals, cases, and verdicts even before setting foot in the courtroom, but he must be willing to change them. So, the student needs an open mind, a patient character and a modest personality to be able to shift his original opinion if other circumstances may apply or if he realizes he committed a mistake.
A judge shouldn’t express his opinions about the case freely, not until the verdict is delivered. And of course, he should remain impartial and objective at all times and conditions. A judge is not supposed to prove anything; his role is not to place himself above everyone and issue judgments as an executioner but to represent a proper functioning law enforcement mechanism guided only by moral and legal principles.
The student needs to be a perfectionist, the kind of person that over analyzes all giving aspects and perspectives; one that doesn’t let himself tricked by a minor detail without checking all the other possibilities and circumstances.
In my opinion, the student, also, needs the features of an excellent psychologist because, in practice, he will be required to tell the difference between lies and truths. He needs to listen patiently to both parties exactly like a shrink at a counseling session and gather as many facts as possible. In addition, he has to understand the reasoning behind any fact or event and the driving emotions that stood behind the crime scene or the civil legal issue.
Attributes and abilities requested for the profession of a judge may also be solicited for other legal professions, but what is really the determining factor for a student to choose this honorable profession stays only at the gates of his own imagination. After all, a perfect image is only a landmark and an individual can succeed only through hard work, dedication, and a sharp and positive mindset. Every student has a calling for something and regardless of standards and demands; he needs to follow his own passion.
