Evaluation of Judicial Performance: A Tool for Self-Improvement

Authors

Richard L. Aynes

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The quality of our judicial system, like other institutions, is a function of the work performed by those who are afforded major roles in the dispensation of justice. Unmistakably. judges, jurors and lawyers assume key roles in this process. Professor Aynes, who is a member of the A.B.A.'s Evaluation of Judicial Performance Committee, recognizes that both judges and lawyers, unlike jurors, are professionals expected to bring more to the bench than honesty, good faith and diligence. The author observes that while efforts to improve the daily performance of attorneys have been well under way since the early 1970's, it i now imperative that we address the issue of improving judicial performance. Professor Aynes reviews the historical antecedents of programs evaluating judicial performance, and shows the significant difference between the A.B.A. 's proposal and the various surveys and polls that have been previously utilized, while examining the critical issues confronting the profession in designing a responsible system for evaluating judicial performance.

Recommended Citation

Richard L. Aynes Evaluation of Judicial Performance: A Tool for Self-Improvement, 8 Pepp. L. Rev. Iss. 2 (1981)
Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/plr/vol8/iss2/1