From Louisiana Chief Justice John Weimer's concurrence in yesterday's In re Colbert:
Terms have been coined to describe undesirable traits a judge may develop as a result of wearing a judicial robe–such as "Black Robe Fever" or "Robe-itis." Newly elected judges in Louisiana have been warned of this affliction. The symptoms include becoming self-righteous, self-centered, self-serving, pompous, and acting as if the judge is above the law or the law does not apply to a judge, as contrasted to being a servant of the people and a disciple of the law. Manifestations include possessing traits of bias, prejudice, abuse of judicial power, and being overly authoritative, insensitive, and disrespectful. Other traits include a lack of civility, poor temperament, extreme impatience, and overstepping authority by acting outside of the bounds of legal responsibility and engaging in misconduct which undermines public trust.
Displays of disrespect, disdain, volatility, and a lack of courage to follow the law as written have no place in judging. Abuse of power involves using the judicial power for personal gain, partisanship, politics, or favoritism, or to intimidate or retaliate against others who do not bend to the judge's will. Such behavior fosters distrust of courts and alienation of those who turn to courts for resolution of issues.
Judges who engage in these behaviors lose sight of the fact they were elected to be a public servant assigned to resolve issues properly brought before a judge, to work to improve the system of justice, and to lead by example so as to ensure the rule of law is respected and followed. {Faced with a red light, the respondent ignored the obligation to stop as if the law did not apply to him and then berated a police officer attempting to ensure public safety.} This type of behavior reflects poorly on our system of justice and other judges, exhibits a lack of respect for the law and ultimately adversely impacts our system of government.
