I have been wondering today whether there is some chemical agent contained in the fabric of a judge's robe that changes the personality and even essence of the person who wears it. Perhaps something in the robe creates some type of amnesia, the only symptoms of which are that the wearer forgets completely ever having been a lawyer and what the practice of law is about. There is apparently also something about it that enlarges the only part of the individual not covered by the robe, i.e. the head.
If this is not the case, I am at a loss to discover what would lead a judge, who was once a public defender himself, to the conclusion that a defense attorney's only purpose is to make their clients plead guilty! What would make such a person, whose life-time profession has been the law, believe that a trial by a jury of one's peers is a waste of time? How can it be that a heretofore completely personable and reasonable attorney has suddenly taken to yelling at the attorneys appearing before him when they request that the prosecutor follow the Rules of Evidence and even (gasp) the Constitution?!
I am truly at a loss for any reasonable explanation, so I will stick to my original conclusion: There is something about that black ROBE!
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9 comments:
It's either the robe or something they give you when you become a judge.. some chemical substance that causes you to act horribly. Maybe the judge had a bad day? Maybe the judge was having an affair with the prosecutor? Or maybe it's just the robe. :-)
Maybe it's the affair theory, however that would be quite something has both have wives.
You know, I'm not sure if it's the robe or just something about attaining a certain level of power status. It seems like a lot of people, once they achieve a certain level of power or position, lose sight and memory of why they were doing it in the first place. Not to mention, they forget what it's like to actually "work" for something day in and day out, as we "little people" do.
But maybe my opinion is a little jaded right now....
I agree. However, I may also be a little jaded at the moment as well...
There's nothing for it but for you to become a judge and see for yourself!! :)
I believe you are referring to the disease known as "black robeitis". Symptoms include the ability to read minds and hearts, and the inability to make mistakes. If you believe you have spotted one, you are obviously contemptuous and in error. There is no cure for this disease, although losing an election has been known to put it in remission.
I am frequently contemptuous and in error, but I do strive to keep my contemptuousness to myself and correct my errors. Apparently another symptom of this disease is a compulsion to do the opposite.
Since victims of the disease are wholly convinced that they are those to whom the Almighty turns each morning for direction, why should they keep their words of wisdom to themselves? While some individuals manage to delay the onset of this disease, I have become convinved that none who don the attire are immune. (and when both sides of the bar agree - something HAS to be right!)
Yes. However sometimes that doesn't work with someone "suffering" from black robeitis. I can recall many occasions in which both the prosecutor and I are trying to get a judge to do the same thing and he or she doesn't seem to listen to either of us.
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