Introduction
A Judge is a professional who rules over judicial proceedings, either by themselves or with other judges in a court. A judge reviews all of the testimonies and any further evidence that the defense lawyers bring forward, evaluates the defendants’ views and trustworthiness, and then renders a decision based on their understanding of the constitution and their own opinion.
An unbiased judge is expected to preside over the trial, which is often held in public. The authority, duties, manner of nomination, sanctions, and education of judges change significantly depending on the jurisdiction. A jury, in some circumstances, may supplement the judge’s authority. In adjudicatory criminal inquiry systems, a judge may serve as an examining prosecutor. The presiding judge ensures that everything in court is legal and in good order. To become a judge, one must possess qualifications and characteristics that suit the requirements.
Characteristics of a Judge
The judge plays a crucial role as the person who makes decisions in court. Judges are in charge of making sure that every person who appears in court receives a fair conviction. In order to make sure that trials are fair, judges ought to possess a particular set of characteristics such as knowledge, qualities, and behavior (Butt, 2021). Firstly, the judge should possess judicial temperament. This quality includes the capacity to apply the law to the facts and comprehend how a court’s ruling will impact the people. It is the capacity to converse calmly and politely with attorneys, juries, evidence, and defendants and the readiness to hear and consider what is said on all aspects of a contentious issue. Secondly, the judge should be intelligent, including the capacity to swiftly recognize, interpret, and understand new concepts and ideas, as well as the knowledge of and capability to apply procedural principles, assessments, and regulations to various situations and facts.
Thirdly, a good judge must possess integrity and courage. Courage in the context of law is the readiness to carry out what the law needs the jurist to do even though the course the judge must pursue is not the popular one. Integrity is independent of the party or attorney in front of the judge’s identification, nationality, sexuality, political affiliation, money, or relationship. Essentially, it means that the judge is not acting in a prohibited way. Fourthly, becoming a good judge requires having extensive legal knowledge of all the fields. In addition, excellent communication skills are essential when interacting with customers and coworkers. Judges’ interactions with clients must be clear and logical, and they must communicate both verbally and in writing in a clear, concise, and technically correct manner. Listening comprehension is another aspect of effective communication. Proper information exchange among judges and promoting judicial conversation, or sharing best practices among judges, are facilitated by appropriate contact with colleagues.
Additionally, according to legal prospects and training, precision is a critical competency that judges must have. A good judge can use statutory interpretation precisely and reasonably with prompt, direct, and not shallow reasoning. A competent judge examines the facts of the case precisely and prepares adequately for discussions, judgments, and rulings. In addition Judges must cultivate a powerful and enticing character that will give them the credibility to convince clients and the general public that judicial judgments are correct. Judges need to be passionate, self-assured, and physically beautiful to leave a lasting impact on others.
Qualification for Obtaining a Position of a Judge
In order to earn a position as a judge, one must complete four years of undergraduate study, three years in accredited law school, and often two or even more years of professional legal practice. After obtaining the bachelor’s degree, one must pursue the bar exam; upon completing the exam, one can now qualify to become a judge. In almost all cases, a candidate for the trial bench should have had some prior litigation experience and maintained a regular courtroom practice (Patoari, Murad, & Mahmud, 2019). However, non-litigation expertise, in conjunction with excellent rankings on other factors, including intelligence and personal integrity, will be an added advantage. Finally, the applicant should not have received disciplinary from the Attorney Complaint Committee and should have retained a standard of behavior above the minimal threshold outlined in the disciplinary regulations.
Details on the Role of Judges
The Judge decides the outcome of the petitioner and the accused. While some tasks are performed on the bench during hearings, most work, such as gathering information, conducting research, and discussing cases, is done in chambers behind closed doors. Goodall (2020) explains the following as some of the primary duties of judges: firstly, monitoring trials, listening to witness testimony, and prosecution and defense claims. Secondly, the Judge has the authority to decide whether evidence should be admitted or not. Additionally, they determine the defendant’s culpability or innocence and give the jury instructions. Lastly, the Judge decides the penalties or sentences imposed on the guilty and how long the sentencing will be.
Conclusion
Judges play a crucial part in the judicial service system in administering sentences in fair and free trials. A good judge must possess characteristics suitable for rendering judgments, such as precision, good communication, and skills, and be fit health-wise. In order to become a Judge, one must have gone to accredited law school. Additionally, one must have no criminal record to qualify to be a judge. Hence, before they proceed, judges give juries directions in the event of civil litigation, Justice should determine the circumstances of the case as well as make an informed judgment.
References
Butt, S. (2021). What makes a good judge? Perspectives from Indonesia. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 241(6), 1–42. Web.
Goodall, K. (2020). What defines the roles of a judge? First steps towards the construction of a comparative method. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 51(4), 535–559. Web.
Patoari, Md. M. H., Murad, M. H., & Mahmud, Md. S. (2019). The desired qualities of a good judge. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 237(6). Web.