Questions tagged [judge]
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Are judges immune from prosecution of crimes committed while acting as a judge?
Discussing the civil lawsuit to Hans Reiser's murder conviction, Wikipedia states:
"Judges ... are immune to lawsuits regarding their official conduct."
In the United States, is that true? Surely, if a judge colludes, conspires, or otherwise rigs…
bishop
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Why is Harvard allowed to ask for a specific judge in its case against the Trump administration?
From CNN's May 4, 2025 Harvard is taking the Trump administration to court. The judge overseeing the case is no stranger to either side:
Harvard has asked for an expedited final decision rather than an immediate order to restore the money, leaving…
uhoh
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Judge Judy specific retaliation: technically ethical?
In this clip, Judge Judy Sheindlin directs a defendant to “talk fast.” He responds with, “If you wouldn’t cut me off, I’d be able to talk fast.” Judge Judy, out of disbelief or humor, asks the bailiff to confirm that this is what he said and…
gen-ℤ ready to perish
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A sitting judge is claiming to represent a client against me. Should I file a bar complaint?
We recently had to fire an employee for cause. After we sent an email to the former employee asking for a password to an account that belonged to the business, we received a reply from a person who represented themselves as the lawyer for the…
Drew Shafer
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Can US Supreme Court justices / judges be "rotated" out against their will?
In last night's US Presidential Debate, candidate and US Senator Bernie Sanders asserted the option of being able to "rotate" Supreme Court judges / justices to other courts. As quoted in The Hill:
"I do not believe in packing the court," Sanders…
WBT
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What happens to a trial if the presiding judge is unable to finish the trial?
What happens if, during an ongoing trial, the presiding judge dies, is injured, or otherwise is unable to finish the trial?
Nzall
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What is the legal basis for judges being able to see classified material?
Marcy Wheeler, in her emptywheel Twitter account, recently tweeted:
I addressed this question in this post. No, Cannon does not need a
clearance. Her access comes via dint of her responsibilities, just
like Members of Congress who need to access…
Simd
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Why do Chief Justice Roberts, and Judge Posner, knowingly not read fine print?
Many cases underscore "the importance of reading and understanding the terms and conditions of the contract". See Toll (FGCT) Pty Ltd v Alphapharm Pty Ltd [2004] HCA 52, [43].
More recently, in words that are apposite to the present case, in…
user16249
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Could a judge sentence a criminal to nothing?
In the reboot of Night Court (which is obviously not realistic at all), a defendant is found guilty, but Judge Stone says, “I’ll let you off with a warning.” Does a judge really have the ability to do that?
I know that some crimes have mandatory…
SegNerd
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What would happen if someone sued every judge in the country?
What would happen if someone put together a list of every judge in the US and filed a lawsuit naming all of them as defendants? Obviously, it would be a frivolous lawsuit, but who can dismiss it without a conflict of interest? I don't think a jury…
Someone
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Is there any way to hold a judge accountable for the harm caused by a bad decision?
Here's a hypothetical scenario, loosely based on something that actually happened to some people I know.
Bob attacks Alice and injures her.
Bob is charged with assault and battery.
Trial by jury is waived, and Bob appears before a judge for his…
Mason Wheeler
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What is the idea behind German courts having both professional judges and lay judges?
In this wiki, it is mentioned that in trial courts there are both professional judges and lay judges involved. What is the basis behind this set up?
Clemens Bartholdy
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What happens if a judge disregards a mandatory minimal sentencing law?
What happens if a judge disregards the mandatory minimum sentence and sentences the convicted to time served or some other lesser amount of time? Would this judgement be binding? What would happen to challange it, and would the judge face…
Evan Carroll
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Could charging a judge with a felony to get them suspended be "scaled up" indiscriminately by the US Department of Justice?
The most recent US president and administration have expressed displeasure with the judges who don't rule in their favor.
A recent action by the US Department of Justice (which may be less independent from the US president than it has traditionally…
uhoh
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How basic were Senator Kennedy's questions to Matthew Spencer Petersen?
The recent hearing of the candidates for district court judge sparked some media attention as President Trump's candidate, Matthew Spencer Petersen, could not answer (video here) some law-specific questions asked by Senator Kennedy.
I was able to…
pat3d3r
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