Judge (also known as a Judge of Law, or magistrate) is a person who presides over a court of law. Judges decide legal cases by evaluating the evidence presented and interpreting laws and legal precedents. They also manage court proceedings, enforcing judicial decorum and maintaining order in the courtroom. Judges often give written opinions or judgments in which they provide their reasoning for a case’s outcome, and they help to shape the interpretation and application of legal principles established by higher courts.
Judges may be elected or appointed, serve for life or work on renewable contracts, sit in urban or rural settings, have general or specific jurisdiction, have a large or small docket, and so forth. As a result, judging is not a standardized occupation and some judges are well-suited to certain sorts of cases while others are ill-suited or even unable to handle them. Behaviorally, the underlying factor in these differences is temperament.
The current study examined personality characteristics and behaviors that correlate with a judge’s ability to discern relevant personality cues from an interaction partner in a social context. We found that good judges have personality traits and behaviors related to social skill, agreeableness, and adjustment. They display behavior that conveys that they are interested and attentive to their interaction partners, making them more comfortable revealing personal information. The findings support the hypothesis that good judges are capable of creating a situation in which their acquaintances feel safe revealing personal information, and that this is likely to lead to more accurate judgments by the acquaintances.
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