Law Matters: Reflections of Chief Justice Michael A. Wolff

What Do Judges Believe ... Really?

Discussion Questions

1. Based on Judge Wolff’s column, when you are voting for a judge, which is the more important criterion—what the judge believes or what he/she know about the law? Why?

2. When the judges of the Supreme Court of Missouri decided the case about the driver from Iowa who was driving in Missouri without a valid driver’s license, why didn’t they just fix the law that was in question? Whose role is it to make new laws or change old ones?

3. When Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court of the United States was before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, one of the Senators commented that Judge Roberts’ wife belonged to an anti-death penalty group and wondered if that would affect Judge Roberts’ decisions on the death penalty. Based on his column, what do you Judge Wolff would say about this question?

4. Should judges pay attention to political polls, editorials and television commentators when they are deciding cases? Why or why not?

5. If you were a judge and a case came before you that involved something you were strongly for or against i.e. abortion, the death penalty, prayer in public places, what would you do?