Judge is an important career choice for individuals who want to serve society by settling legal disputes, enforcing constitutional rights, and shaping legal precedents. This profession is intellectually challenging, requires interpreting statutes and case law, and applies these laws to real-world situations. Judges are accorded high levels of authority and respect by the legal community, the public, and their peers. Judges have significant governmental power to order police or military officials to carry out searches, arrests, imprisonments, forfeitures, deportations, and the like.
Most of a judge’s time is spent in a courtroom. These facilities are often large, contain a bench or dais from which the judge oversees proceedings, a witness stand and jury box (if applicable), seating for attorneys and parties, and others involved in the trial. Judges also may travel to other locations for hearings or trials.
Managing Court Proceedings
Judges must ensure that the trial is conducted in a fair and orderly manner. They do this by determining which evidence is admissible, ruling on objections, and regulating the conduct of attorneys and parties in the trial. Additionally, judges set schedules, manage case dockets, and assign cases to other judges or court personnel. Judges also write opinions explaining their interpretation and application of the law. These opinions establish legal precedent and provide guidance for lower courts, attorneys, and the public. While previous research has focused on the characteristics and behaviors associated with judgmental accuracy, little work has analyzed how the first two stages of RAM – relevance and availability – relate to the judging process.