Court Observation Report on Judge's Neutrality, Respect for Rights, and Skill at Providing a Voice

This court observation report discusses the judge's ability to be neutral, principled, and consistent, respect for people and their rights, skill at providing a voice during the hearing, and whether the observer would have confidence before the judge.

COURT OBSERVATION REPORT 1
COURT OBSERVATION REPORT
Name
Affiliation
Instructor
Date

COURT OBSERVATION REPORT 2
Court Observation Report
Judge’s Ability to be Neutral, principled and Consistent
During my observation, it was clear that the judge was neutral at all times. First, he followed
the court procedures and allowed all parties to express themselves freely. In addition, any
disputes between the advocates were handled effectively leading to equal allocation of time
during the hearings. There were no instances of personal prejudice because all interest was
also looked into. Demeanor is an essential factor and this was maintained at all times,
(Epstein, 2018). When it came to decision making, the judge was firm in his decisions, with
the aid of applicable laws and not personal judgments. As such, consistency was seen in his
work during the entire period.
Judge’s Respect for people and their Rights
Respect is an essential factor in courts. For judges to be respected, they have to lead by
example. In this case, the judge respected all parties despite their differences. This was seen
by the way he respected their appearance in court, claims and also availability. Because of the
difficult terminologies, the judge managed to give clear and precise explanations at all time
this enabled the parties to have a better understanding of the language. Also, he was keen to
listen to all parties and what they had to say. With the use of a friendly tone and pitch, even
the accused were able to give positive feedback. Decisions at the end always need
clarifications and this is one factor that the judge endeavored to elaborate on. As a result, all
advocates and their clients had a better understanding of the judgments given. In situations
where issues were raised, the judge was able to give humble time and allowed for appeals
too. The most significant right was the right to representation and the right to speech by all
parties being allowed in the courtroom.

COURT OBSERVATION REPORT 3
Judge’s Skill at providing a voice during the hearing
Voice is essential in court proceedings because this is the backbone of all decisions.
Appellants, defendants, and witnesses were given sufficient time to make their submissions
before the judge. This shows how the judge was partial and considerate all the time. It is also
essential to provide elaborate explanations and arguments during the trial, (Halley, 2018). In
instances where witnesses or defendants and advocates were not clear, he requested all parties
to clarify more so that everyone could understand better.
Whether I would have confidence before the judge
In a situation where I am supposed to appear before the judge, I would be confident. This is
because I know that the judge respects all parties before him, allows all parties to express
themselves freely and most importantly, treats everyone equally. In most cases, junior
lawyers are treated harshly by judges or senior lawyers. Having a judge who is against this
vice is essential because he treats the seniors and juniors equally. In addition, my clients will
have the opportunity to have a fair trial where judgments will be made solely basing on the
law.

COURT OBSERVATION REPORT 4
References
Haley, J.O., 2018. The myth of the reluctant litigant. In The Law and Society Canon (pp. 123-
154). Routledge.
Epstein, L., Parker, C.M. and Segal, J.A., 2018. Do Justices Defend the Speech They Hate?
An Analysis of In-Group Bias on the US Supreme Court. Journal of Law and Courts, 6(2),