Judicial Perspectives on Emotion, Emotion Management, and Judicial Excellence in the USA

In the USA, state court judges receive little to no specialized judicial training prior to assuming the duties of office. To support quality judicial performance, states must make strategic use of limited resources. Formal state systems of judicial education have emerged over the past half-century as one solution to this challenge, providing sitting judges in most jurisdictions with some level of educational support. Despite these advancements, some scholars and practitioners have criticized judicial education to date, calling for a new wave of reforms. One recent study explored judicial perceptions of the types of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics important to judicial work in the state courts. Participating judges acknowledged emotion and interpersonal skills as critical components of judicial excellence (Elek et al. 2017). This paper will examine some of the guidance provided by state court judges in this area and consider opportunities for improvement to better meet judicial needs.