How the media, elected officials, the public perceive judges and the judiciary

As part of this year's ABA Judicial Division theme, "Defining the Judge," the division held a conference March 30 at the Freedom Forum in Arlington, Va., titled "How the Media, Elected Officials and the Public Perceive Judges and the Judiciary." Among the panelists were Chief Judge Deanell Tacha of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit; Legal Times and American Lawyer Media Supreme Court correspondent Tony Mauro; Mark Agrast, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress; and former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova. John Siegenthaler, founder of The First Amendment Center, served as moderator.

How is the role of the judiciary and the individual judge in the United States impacted by the partisan oratory, talk show chatter and blogger opinions that are rampant across the nation? The program examined the public's often misconceived perceptions of the judiciary and judges, how judges understand and define their role and their ethical obligations, and how questions and criticism can be raised without jeopardizing the judicial system.

In conjunction with the event, Agrast submitted a paper, "Current Threats to the Independence of the Federal Courts," in which he offered three suggestions on how to combat threats to the judiciary: "First, lawyers must speak out against attacks on judges and the courts. ... Second, we need to educate the public – and those who represent them in Congress – on the importance of an independent judiciary. ... And third, if we mean to preserve the independence of our courts we need to use the political process to do it."

Cosponsors of the event included the ABA sections of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, Criminal Justice and Individual Rights and Responsibilities. Readers who have Real Media may listen to audio of the panel online here.

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