Having spent countless hours in courtrooms, I can tell you one idiom of the English language that rings true is “sober as a judge.” I honestly couldn’t find why the particular profession would be associated with a lack of alcoholic indulgence except that the phrase appears to have been coined in an English drama from 1682 by playwright Thomas d’Urfey called The Injured Princess.
Having observed numerous judges, however, I believe it is not so much sobriety itself as its associated characteristics that inspired the phrase. Chief among these is patience.
Although the justice system is adversarial by nature, generally speaking a courtroom tends to be a place of politeness and respect. For example, even when criticizing one another, opposing counsel refer to each other as “my friend.”
Judges, of course, are lawyers, and years of practice, in both senses of the word, in front of the bench must be very good training indeed for spending time behind the bench.
Considering the emotionally-charged nonsense that goes on in court on a daily basis, it’s a wonder they don’t lose it completely on occasion.
That’s not to say they don’t show a flash of annoyance now and then. I’ve seen rolling eyes, sarcastic smirks, and the occasional admonishment, usually gentle, of a lawyer or defendant, but for the most part, judges’ behaviour is beyond reproach.
Whatever you call them, sober, patient, calm, serious, respectful, the lion’s share of judges, the vast majority of the time, deserve respect. And no, I do not have a pending ticket.
