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I'm Nice Off The Bench Too

By Brian Tannebaum, Esq.

A standard description of judges is that he or she is "nice off the bench."When you say a judge is "nice off the bench," it naturally means they are not nice on the bench.Anyone in trial practice has seen this in action. See judge on bench, see judge lambaste lawyer. See judge at social event, see judge as a happy friendly person.I think it's sad.I think it's abusive.I think it's another example of what we lawyers call "black robe fever."I often wonder when I look at a judge: "do you remember law school, being a lawyer (any kind of lawyer)? Have you ever had a sick kid, something else going on in your life, a need for more time to investigate something, anything? You know, human being problems?It's one thing to do your job and judge. It's another to use the power of the robe to embarrass people, treat people as if a mistake they made was intentional when it was not, or to cause havoc in another professional's life...continue to full post

Full post as published by Criminal Defense on January 13, 2009 (boomark / email).