A warning...
As we have repeatedly stressed, “there is no place in the judiciary for those who cannot meet the exacting standards of judicial conduct and integrity.”
I hope these words send chills down some judge's spine. These were the words of the Supreme Court per curiam in dismissing now former judge Fatima Asdala from the judiciary, with forfeiture of all her benefits, etc.
With all due respect, I also hope the Supreme Court is equally serious about cleaning up its ranks. I do hope this case will only be the first of many. There are more where they came from.
I know being in the judiciary is hard. You have to appear neutral at ALL TIMES, not just the times one sits in his/her courtroom wearing those robes. It also means limiting your social circles sometime to even less than your closest friends or immediate family. It means avoiding not only actual partiality, until a decision comes out, but also even appearance of impartiality.
I have to admit I am getting to be an old hand in this profession because I already have some close friends who are now judges. And now, I miss them precisely because they are already judges. And even when I do see them, I make sure I don't even have a case pending before I even talk to them.
For a lawyer to become a judge, he (or she) has to want it pretty bad. To the profession, judges are like priests and they have been called "priests of justice." They are bound by even stricter rules. And the pay is not that high, although these days, I hear it's enough.
You know that if boss fires you, you can take them to court to get your job back, assuming you have a reason. But if your boss is the highest court in the land, you don't have that recourse. In that regard, I sympathize with judges. So they really have to behave.
Now the thought of becoming a judge someday has occurred to me from time to time. But my sad experiences in actual government service has dissuaded me enough. Thank goodness for that.
Before I ramble aimlessly any further, let me end by the last words of the Supreme Court in that case:
This Court has repeatedly stressed its unbending policy not to tolerate or condone any act or omission that falls short of the exacting norms of public office, especially on those expected to preserve the image of the judiciary. Again, this Court will not shirk from its responsibility of weeding out those who stain the integrity and dignity of the judiciary.Amen to that.
transcription by Punzi @ 7:51 AM
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