Who makes judges?
1,321,597 views | Jessica Kerr • TEDxUWA
What qualifies someone to become a judge? The answer is surprisingly vague and even taboo to discuss. Lawyer Jessica Kerr sifts through the murky, mysterious process that sits at the center of the Commonwealth judicial system in countries like Australia -- and makes the case for "judge school," a legal education better fit to bring justice, legitimacy and public trust to any court.
What qualifies someone to become a judge? The answer is surprisingly vague and even taboo to discuss. Lawyer Jessica Kerr sifts through the murky, mysterious process that sits at the center of the Commonwealth judicial system in countries like Australia -- and makes the case for "judge school," a legal education better fit to bring justice, legitimacy and public trust to any court.
This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUWA, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
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Jessica Kerr has been fascinated by the role of judges in society for over a decade, and increasingly concerned by the shroud of mystery that surrounds them.
Jessica Kerr | AUSPUBLAW, 2020 | Article
"Turning lawyers into judges is a public responsibility"
In this reflection on the themes of her talk, Kerr ponders why we expect so much more of judges than of the lawyers they used to be, when our system does so little to support the transition from one to the other.
Chief Justice Murray Gleeson | 2003 | Listen
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Australia's former Chief Justice was unusually open about the burdens on new judges, and the need for public investment in training them. It's striking, and sobering, to reflect on how little has changed in almost two decades.
Richard Devlin and Adam Dodek (eds) | Edward Elgar, 2016 | Book
Regulating Judges: Beyond Independence and Accountability
This collection deliberately disrupted the international literature on judges. If public confidence is the goal, what can and should governments be doing to make sure judges keep it?
Justice Matthew Palmer | Victoria University of Wellington Law Review, 2018 | Article
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Where do judges come from, and how do they feel when they get there? This is a rare insight from a newly minted New Zealand judge.
Gabrielle Appleby | The Conversation, 2020 | Article
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Public confidence is a fragile thing, and Australia's top judiciary has been rocked by its own recent #MeToo moment. The system that allowed this to happen is now squarely under the spotlight.
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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxUWA, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Read more about TEDx.