Judges Essays - Legal Professions, Judge, Law Enforcement, Jury

Judges The dictionary defines a judge as "a public officer authorized to hear and determine causes in a court of law." The following essay will deal on how to become a judge, the requirements to become a judge, salaries, and the different types of judges and what kind of information they deal with. Judges are some of the most important people in Canada. They are the men and women who sit on the benches in the courtrooms, whose responsibility it is not only to decide the fate of human beings, like themselves, but to steer and control the course of the law itself. The arrival advent of the 1982 Charter of Rights changed many things for judges. Since then, they have been handed the tasks of determining the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Canadians. WHAT IS A JUDGE? A judge basically decides on the fate of the person who stands before him. He listens to the information presented from the defendant, who is the accused, and the plaintiff, who is the accuser. Once all of the information has been presented, either the judge makes a decision or the jury does. In a small court, usually a judge makes the decision, but if the defendant was a mass murderer, and had eye witnesses seeing him kill a person, but had a virtual air-tight case for him that would get him out scot-free because he was the prime minister's son, there would be a jury. A judge also passes sentence, which is how long the accused, if found guilty, should be punished. A judge is looked upon as "god" to the accused standing before him, the judge holds the fate of a person in his hands. They command respect, and the job of a judge, if it is the supreme court or a small claims court, the word "judge" holds special meaning. A judge also has the good fortune to see almost every type of person living today, from killer to housewife, from jaywalker to terrorist. REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A JUDGE AND HOW TO BECOME ONE Only the best can become a judge. The word "best" does not apply to the best at math, physics, or science, but the best that they can do. If a judge only sits there, in a black robe, staring attentively at the wall, then anyone could become a judge. To become a judge, you must have the ability to think logically, fairly, and to listen to two sides of a story, conflicting each other. One says guilty. One says mistake. The judge must listen and make his decision. Research on fifty judges from around Canada showed up the following information: All of them had a Law degree. 60 percent said that they hadn't planned on being a judge The first step to becoming a judge is work. You have to work hard to graduate from law school. Many judges said that they hadn't planned on being a judge, and almost all of them said that it was the right job for their abilities. Many say that emotion during a trial can kill a judge, but to look at it from many different points of view to come up with a decision actually helps the judge to make the correct decision. Many lawyers often become judges. It is a stereotype to say that judges are all old, white haired men, because there are many, many women judges. The information I have so far gathered says that a law degree is the first step. There really is no other second step. You can't really become a judge of a high court on just a law degree, so anything else which will help. One judge surveyed has his law degree, MBA, a degree in economics, and has gone to school for over half his life. He is seventy three years old. He is now retired, after being on the bench at Provincial Court for over 20 years. Provincial Court is where street level cases are heard. To get into law school, you must have an average score of 94 percent or better, (1987 figures) and to graduate you must have 95 percent or better (again 1987 figures.) The first step is very tough. There are too many lawyers out there, but not enough judges. Hundreds of cases have been thrown out simply because they were waiting to be brought to trial. One person was waiting for over a year, and the case was thrown out. Judges are selected