2 ‘Most judges are old, white men’
For many people, the stereotype of a judge is an older, white man with an upper middle-class accent. However, the judiciary has changed in recent years. How far have these changes gone?
Activity 4 Name three judges
What are the names of three judges, fictional or real, which first come into your mind when you think about judges? Write their names down below.
Comment
You may have thought about some fictional judges such as Judge John Deed (TV series of the same name), Judge Roy Snyder (TV series The Simpsons), Judge Bullingham (Book and TV Series Rumpole of the Bailey) or Judge Judy (TV series of the same name). Alternatively you may have considered some real judges such as Baroness Lady Brenda Hale (former UK Supreme Court judge), Baron Tom Denning (former Master of the Rolls, UK Court of Appeal) or Clarence Thomas or Ruth Bader Ginsberg (Supreme Court Justices of the USA). Were the judges you considered male or female? What was their ethnicity and background? You will now consider whether the myth of the ‘old white male judge’ is accurate.