Michael1942's Blog

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and, typically, in an open court. The judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility and arguments of the parties, and then issues a ruling on the matter at hand based on their interpretation of the law and their own personal judgment*. In some jurisdictions, the judge’s powers may be shared with a jury. In inquisitorial systems of criminal investigation, a judge might also be an examining magistrate. The presiding judge ensures that all court proceedings are lawful and orderly.

The recent controversy over the appointment of a replacement on the high court has brought to mind that Judges should or are supposed to be Neutral in their decisions (that is as to rule according to the law, not according to their personal beliefs, yet this has been shown to be a factor in some cases and a non factor in others). It has been stated that a new President will “pack” the court meaning a law to enable increasing the number of Justices and or limiting the terms of the Justices. Whether this is true or not, it is clear that appointing Justices according to their personal beliefs is no criteria to elevate them to the high court. The decisions made by the high court affects millions of Americans for better or worse making those selections extremely important. It is unfortunate that our neer do well Congress has seen fit to politicize the high court and potentially making it less effective, all for votes and a political legacy.

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