"While many types of professionals facilitate willing compliance through attention, respectful communication, and active listening, judges are unique examples of how positive communication influences perceived fairness as they analyze the behavior of parties appearing in court, as well as the use of power by others, including a wide variety of actors, delivering court rulings and resolving disputes to ensure that justice is done."
"This environment certainly conveys authority, but definitely does not portray a judicial setting as comfortable, warm, relaxing, or inviting in any sense. Yet through demeanor, direction, and discretion, judges can bond with everyone in the courtroom, including the parties seeking justice, promoting a sense of fairness in both a court of law as well as within the court of public opinion."
"For litigants, interested parties, and the general public, perceiving a judge as fair increases the likelihood of satisfaction with the result and a feeling that justice has been done. This perception depends on the way a judge communicates, how he or she articulates rationale on the record, and the level of respect shown to litigants, witnesses, and others in the courtroom."
Judges often appear as impersonal arbiters wearing robes and sitting elevated on benches, a setting that conveys authority but lacks warmth or approachability. Through demeanor, direction, and discretionary choices, judges can bond with litigants, witnesses, and observers to promote a sense of fairness. Positive communication, respectful attention, and active listening increase perceived fairness and voluntary compliance when judges analyze behavior and the exercise of power by others. Perceptions of fairness and legitimacy depend on how judges communicate, how rationale is articulated on the record, and the level of respect shown toward court participants. Courtroom interactions function as important social contact affecting legitimacy.
Read at Psychology Today
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