Final answer:
Judges are required to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, and must maintain impartiality by adhering to ethical guidelines and codes of conduct. They utilize the principle of stare decisis, which guides them in following legal precedent, while also acknowledging the potential for establishing new precedents. Judges must be free from biases and respect jury decisions as per constitutional limitations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Judges are judges 24 hours a day; must avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety. This ethical requirement is high for judges to maintain public confidence in the judiciary's impartiality. The concept of appearance of impropriety suggests that judges should avoid situations that might make an observer with knowledge of all the relevant facts have a reasonable doubt that the judge is able to decide cases impartially. Judges must adhere strictly to both the spirit and the letter of ethical guidelines, often outlined by entities such as the American Bar Association (ABA) and judicial conduct codes.
The judges' role is complicated by the deliberation methods they use, which can signal their leanings before a decision is formally made. Judges must balance their questioning and comments so as not to unfairly suggest a prejudgment of the case. Following the principle of stare decisis, meaning 'to stand by things decided,' judges generally adhere to precedent in making their rulings but can sometimes establish new legal paths in moments of change or different interpretation.
Additionally, it is crucial that judges do not have any prejudices coming into a trial since they are meant to act as a 'blank slate,' especially when potential jurors might be influenced by media or their own life experiences. In decisions, judges often reference precedents from previously decided cases to justify their rulings, making knowledge of legal history essential in their profession. Judges also need to adhere to constitutional limitations, such as the Seventh Amendment, which protects jury determinations on questions of fact from being overruled by judges.