In our adversarial system of justice, judges play a key role as impartial decision-makers who make decisions that shape the lives of individuals and communities. Judges are responsible for overseeing legal proceedings, listening to arguments from parties involved in a case, reviewing evidence, and making determinations based on applicable laws and legal precedents. They are also charged with managing court proceedings, ensuring that the rules of procedure are followed during trials, and resolving disputes between attorneys or parties in a case.
In addition, they must write opinions that explain their legal reasoning and provide guidance to lower courts and attorneys in similar cases. As a result, judging can be highly challenging and often emotionally taxing.
Judicial staff members (law clerks, law students) help manage their caseloads, conduct research, draft legal documents, and handle administrative tasks. Some judges also participate in judicial conferences, seminars, and meetings to enhance their professional development and network with other legal professionals.
A judge’s temperament interacts with their judicial environment—the specific parameters of their job, the sorts of situations that typify it, and the cultures (both courthouse and community) within which it is embedded—to produce behaviors. Temperament influences behavior when environmental constraints are strong (rewards for desired behaviors, even those inconsistent with one’s own temperament, and consequences for undesired ones are relatively salient) and stress is low, but declines in importance when the environment is characterized by high levels of anxiety and stress, few behavioral constraints, and recurring challenges or frustrations.