National Center For State Courts publishes My article on Judicial Wellbeing and Ethics in the 2025 Judicial Conduct Reporter

Thank you to the National Center for State Courts for including my article on the intersection of judicial wellbeing and judicial ethics in the Judicial Conduct Reporter Spring/Summer/Fall 2025 issue. This topic is very relevant in today's judicial climate in that stressors inherent in the work are being amplified by working at a time when the viability of the concept of Rule of Law is being around the world. I also reference the Nauru Declaration as a roadmap for the future of judicial wellbeing.

During the last few years of my tenure as a judicial officer I came to deeply appreciate the relationship between my own wellbeing and the quality of the decision-making I was generating on a daily basis. The positive impacts of the work are more obvious in that we are very conscious about what we are doing and are proud of being able to resolve people's issues. The negative impact of the work is more subtle and nefarious, accumulating in both the conscious and unconscious aspects of our minds and manifesting in the form of illness or deteriorating physical health, unhealthy decision making, or disconnecting as a means of shutting down and turning away from support systems.

The effects this had on me after serving for 15 years as a criminal defense lawyer and then rolling into a judicial career were life threatening. I became a lawyer at a time where there was little or no recognition of the effects of trauma on the lives of professionals. By 1995, researchers such as Pearlman, Saakvite and Figley began looking at the effects of trauma on professionals in the medical and therapeutic field working with survivors of trauma. There was no thought at that time of how to apply these concepts to the legal field.

As we began to recognize and apply these same issues to those in the legal professions, we have to set aside the stigma associated with not being "strong" enough mentally to do this type of work. This attitude is antithetical to our nature of being social, compassionate beings having the whole range of human experiences not only through our senses, but the emotional and intellectual aspects of our minds. This recognition is not a sign of weakness, but a positive trait to be nurtured and developed which allows us the soae to better serve others.

Recognizing there is an intersection of wellbeing and ethics places on each one of us who has willingly assumed the responsibility, in a professional sense, for the lives of welfare of others, to be in an optimal state to access our wisdom. If our minds are clouded and we resort to unhealthy means to alleviate our own distress, we directly impact others lives who rely on sage advice when making important decisions. As a judicial officer, there were times that I was gently reminded, by others and myself, about the need to regroup before engaging in a decision-making process.

I am hoping this article sparks a conversation on our ethical role pf being the best possible counselors or arbitrators of the law to others.#thriving #flourishingasaspiritualbeing #dothework #emotionalintelligence #beaware #increaseawareness #flourishing #humangrowth #discoveryourpotential #visionquest #connectwithyoursoul #developthemind #developtheheart #thrive #flourish #stateofmind #awareness #thrivingnotsurviving #beaware #mindfulliving #mindfullife #mindfulmoments #mindfulness #karma #fourdoorsofspeech #share #shareyourstory #authenticity #beauthentic #ubuntu

https://www.ncsc.org/sites/default/files/media/document/Judicial%20Conduct%20Reporter%20Spring%20Summer%20Fall%202025.pdf?utm_campaign=863048_Judicial%20Conduct%20Reporter%20-%20Spring%2C%20Summer%2C%20Fall%202025&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=v-0&dm_i=7L57,IHXK,A2Q6TV,34NGB,1