Friday, June 20, 2008

Judging the Judges

Eighty-seven judges will be evaluated in the District Court, Juvenile Court, Superior Court, Housing Court, and Probate and Family Court.

As part of the ongoing program to evaluate and enhance judicial performance, the Supreme Judicial Court's Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee has sent questionnaires to attorneys and court employees in Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties.

Among the categories covered in the evaluations are: a judge's knowledge of the law; temperament on the bench; courtroom control; treatment of litigants, witnesses, jurors, and attorneys; fairness and impartiality; and timeliness in issuing written decisions.

All questionnaires, both paper and electronic, are anonymous; the resulting reports are also confidential and are given only to the judge being evaluated and to the appropriate Chief Justices.

Please direct any inquiries concerning questionnaires and evaluations to Mona Hochberg, Supreme Judicial Court Judicial Performance Evaluation Coordinator, at (617) 557-1156, or via email at mona.hochberg@sjc.state.ma.us. For other information, please contact Joan Kenney, Public Information Officer, Supreme Judicial Court, at (617) 557-1113, or via email at joan.kenney@sjc.state.ma.us

Full Article and Source:
Judge a Judge

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who's judging the judges?

Only lawyers? Fuggedaboutit! Even though they belong to the same club, the lawyers can't risk crossing a bad judge - not if they have to give their identities instead of relying on anonymity!

Why can't the victims of judicial corruption - the litigants - judge the judges?

Anonymous said...

Does NASGA have Massachusets members? Maybe the org could comment uninvited?

Anonymous,???? Confidential and open to attorneys. What a crock!

Anonymous said...

The only time a lawyer with character can stand up and step up with valid complaints against a sitting judge is when that lawyer plans to close up shop and retire.

Anonymous said...

Questionnaires aren't investigations?

This sounds like the GAO report on guardianship --- they sent out questionnaires to the courts and asked them if they were doing their jobs.

The courts with exemplary status, just blew their own horn!

Geez