They face daunting challenges daily and are not immune to making mistakes despite their best efforts. Recent media criticism of the judiciary and controversy surrounding some judges and judicial decisions highlights the sad fact that the public is generally not knowledgeable about our justice system and the function of a judge. A judge is a special category of public servant. Judges are called upon to interpret the law and to insure that the rights of citizens are recognized and respected. Sadly, current criticism of the judiciary is not combined with an understanding of the problems they are called upon to resolve, and the many constraints under which they work.
Judges understand only too well public frustration at unpopular decisions.
In a courtroom there are clearly two sides to every case. It is the judiciary's difficult task to decide how best to protect the rights of all parties in each particular case. Judges are constrained by the boundaries of a case and by precedent. They depend upon many sources of information about each case before them. Judges labor under ever-increasing caseloads.