"Unfortunately, what many people forget is that judges are just lawyers in robes"

Judges often command great respect, their decisions treated as final, solemn arbiters of right and wrong. Their elevated position in the courtroom, dressed in traditional black robes, can give the impression of neutrality and infallibility. Yet this mystique obscures a simple truth: judges are themselves lawyers, fallible humans who came through the same legal system as their peers.

Lawyers, regardless of their competence or ideals, are influenced by their backgrounds, personal beliefs, and interpretations of the law. When lawyers become judges, they do not shed these influences at the courthouse steps. The robe may confer the authority of the bench, but it does not magically impart greater wisdom or impartiality. Judicial decisions frequently reflect the biases, philosophies, and experiences that judges accumulated through decades in the legal profession and in their personal lives.

This realization is important for anyone seeking to understand the workings of the legal system. Too often, the public grants judges a reverence that borders on unquestioning trust, believing their judgments to be inherently superior to those of ordinary attorneys or laypeople. Yet legal rulings often differ greatly from one judge to another precisely because each judge brings an individual lens of analysis to the facts and laws before them. Courtroom outcomes are not mere mechanical applications of logic; they are shaped by the perspective and discretion of those interpreting the law.

Recognizing that judges are lawyers in robes prompts a more critical, realistic assessment of the justice system. It encourages citizens to hold judges accountable, scrutinize judicial appointments, and remember that rulings reflect human judgment, not divine edict. Understanding the shared human nature of the legal profession breaks down the illusion of impartial infallibility, reminding society that legal decisions are subject to error, bias, and debate, not beyond questioning or reform.