Courtroom player - Essay Example

Courtroom Player of Courtroom Player Legal system is made up of several components, one of them being the court. Courtroom has several key players: the judge, bailiff, clerk, court reporter, defendant, jurors, witnesses, plaintiff, and the attorneys. Depending on the role of each of these players and their status, as well as their “position” before the law, they have to adhere to certain moral and ethical standards. Similarly, they are often faced with certain moral and ethical issues (Arizona Supreme Court, 2010).

This paper will focus on the moral and ethical issues facing judges as courtroom players. It is no doubt that a judge is a key figure in the courtroom; the two opposing parties in a case usually come before a judge to present their cases. The judge gives both sides the opportunity to present their version of the facts relevant to the case at hand. The judges oversee the trial and make legal decisions which may arise. In addition, they sentence convicted criminal offenders in the case of criminal cases, and make decisions regarding the outcomes of civil cases and the appropriate remedy (Arizona Supreme Court, 2010).

The general responsibilities of the judges and how they perform them often raises the ethic and moral questions; the decisions that they make always border on some ethic and moral issues. Since the concept of ethics and morals are central to judges, most jurisdictions have provided ethical and moral codes that should guide the judges (Kay, 1995). That notwithstanding, judges are faced with several legal and ethical issues. The first ethical and moral issue that judges face is the issue of fairness and justice.

Judges are required to make decisions that are fair and just. As such, they should use their discretion and abilities to achieve this by ensuring that every proceeding is fair and the subsequent decisions are just as fair and just. In other words, both parties should at the end be satisfied with the decision, or at least see that justice has been done. The second ethical and moral issue that the judges face is that of public confidence. Courts all over the world are considered as the places that uphold the highest level of justice, fairness and equality (Kay, 1995).

This explains why individuals who are aggrieved by others use court as the last resort to seek justice, remedy, and fairness. However, factors such as historical injustices in the courts, nepotism, and corruption can greatly dent the perception that the public have about the courts. Therefore, it is very critical for judges to maintain public confidence regarding the court by observing individual and judicial moral and ethical standards. Formal guidance has been developed to guide judges in adhering to ethical and moral standards thereby gaining and maintaining public confidence (Kay, 1995).

In addition, independence is another moral and ethical issue that judges face as key players of the courtroom. As has been noted, judges should be perceived by the public as impartial, fair, and just in order to deliver fair and just rulings. Therefore, they should ensure their own independence as well as that of the court. There should be seen to have been influenced by “outsiders” on how they conduct court business and how they make decisions. Incidences of government coercion, nepotism, and corruption which can compromise the independence of the judges should not arise at all (Kay, 1995).

That said, judicial ethics and moral codes should always be accompanied by the morals and ethics of individual judges in order to avoid ensure that desirable moral and ethics are adhered to by judges. ReferencesKay, A. (1995). Judicial Ethics: Exploring Misconduct and Accountability for Judges. Retrieved May 19, 2012 from http://cjei.org/publications/mackay.htmlArizona Supreme Court. (2010). The Players in a Trial Courtroom. Retrieved on May 19, 2012 from https://www.azcourts.gov/guidetoazcourts/ThePlayersinaTrialCourtroom.aspx