Integrity is an important factor in determining a judge’s ability to fulfill their judicial duties. The integrity of a judge relies substantially on their ability to uphold ethical standards, especially in difficult or controversial situations. Depending on the circumstances, some actions qualify as either ethical or unethical. However, there are some actions are always considered unethical regardless of the circumstance. Defining the ethical nature of some common practices helps to maintain a judge’s integrity.
One of the most common unethical practices in any profession is the use of organizational resources for personal gains. Instances of such occurrence are always unethical despite the organization or the setting. As a result, judges …show more content…
Any actions contrary to this would jeopardize the integrity of the judicial system. In court rulings, impartiality is observed by providing each side an opportunity to present their arguments without placing unlawful limits to them (Shatreet, 2015). In relation, judges are allowed to declare defense or prosecution lawyers in contempt of the court based on unruly behavior. Otherwise, judges have no authority to prevent defense lawyers from presenting valid arguments and evidence to the court. A judge who bans a defense lawyer from speaking in court is acting unlawfully and preventing the establishment of impartiality in the court proceedings. According to the codes of conduct that judges abide by, such an act is unethical. On the same issue, it is notable that a judge who shuts the court down with the intention of preventing a defendant from filing a plea is in violation of both the law and ethical standards. In such an incidence, the judge would be obstructing justice as well as failing to uphold the impartiality requirement of all judicial proceedings.
Other than being impartial, the judicial proceedings should be free of influence by any outside party. The rulings that a court makes should have a firm foundation on the evidence presented in court (Shatreet, 2015). It is for this reason that accepting payments or gifts with the objective of influencing the ruling of a court is both unlawful and unethical. For example, a judge who accepts payments for sending a certain amount of teenagers to a juvenile detention facility is acting unlawfully. Such an act can result in severe punishment for both the judge and the parties offering the
One of the most common unethical practices in any profession is the use of organizational resources for personal gains. Instances of such occurrence are always unethical despite the organization or the setting. As a result, judges …show more content…
Any actions contrary to this would jeopardize the integrity of the judicial system. In court rulings, impartiality is observed by providing each side an opportunity to present their arguments without placing unlawful limits to them (Shatreet, 2015). In relation, judges are allowed to declare defense or prosecution lawyers in contempt of the court based on unruly behavior. Otherwise, judges have no authority to prevent defense lawyers from presenting valid arguments and evidence to the court. A judge who bans a defense lawyer from speaking in court is acting unlawfully and preventing the establishment of impartiality in the court proceedings. According to the codes of conduct that judges abide by, such an act is unethical. On the same issue, it is notable that a judge who shuts the court down with the intention of preventing a defendant from filing a plea is in violation of both the law and ethical standards. In such an incidence, the judge would be obstructing justice as well as failing to uphold the impartiality requirement of all judicial proceedings.
Other than being impartial, the judicial proceedings should be free of influence by any outside party. The rulings that a court makes should have a firm foundation on the evidence presented in court (Shatreet, 2015). It is for this reason that accepting payments or gifts with the objective of influencing the ruling of a court is both unlawful and unethical. For example, a judge who accepts payments for sending a certain amount of teenagers to a juvenile detention facility is acting unlawfully. Such an act can result in severe punishment for both the judge and the parties offering the