Yet there is need for restraint in our activism. It is difficult to discern a bright line between Canons which proscribe the appearance of impropriety and those which exhort us to improve the law and the administration of justice. Above all we are judges. We represent the third branch of government, whose independence and impartiality cannot be sacrificed. We are stewards of the court as well as of our communities.
Restraint is required also to temper judges' penchant to control.
From my personal experience, I know how hard it can be for a judge to share decision-making power outside the courtroom. In meetings we may act as battering rams, while feeling we are just one of the group. We may interpret deference accorded us to be consensus, then proceed to announce conclusions, which are taken as edicts. Our lack of awareness of how this behavior can chill the participation of others can sabotage our goal of promoting community involvement. Our challenge is to balance others' needs to be involved with our own.