Judges, like police officers and attorneys, are held to a higher ethical standard than the average person; they are expected to be impartial and non-biased in their work. Do you believe a judge can be completely unbiased with every case? Explain your answer. What ethical issues arise when a judge is biased?
Not only are judges expected to be unbiased inside the courtroom, but they are also expected to uphold a high ethical standard in their personal lives as well. Image is important, especially for elected positions. I believe that it is impossible to be non-biased with every case. Maybe in the beginning of a judge’s career they are very open-minded about every case; but after years of drunk drivers, drug addicts, child abusers, rapists, and murderers, it is probably very difficult to remain unbiased towards every case. I do believe, however, that a judge needs to be indiscriminate in the courtroom and keep personal opinions out of it.
The ethical issue facing a judge who is biased is the fact that he/she is not being fully open-minded during a trial; therefore the defendant is not really getting a fair trial. A judge who is biased may order a defendant to an unfairly long sentence, infringing on the defendant’s Eighth Amendment rights against cruel or unusual punishment.
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