Court Shorts: Fair and Impartial Judiciary

How do federal judges have an impact on individual rights every day, even for people who may never enter a courtroom? Ten federal judges answer that question and others in “Court Shorts: A Fair and Impartial Judiciary,” produced in celebration of Constitution Day, on Sept. 17, discussing their commitment to impartiality, the Constitution, and the rule of law.

00:20 - Intro
01:24 - How do judges show their commitment to impartiality?
02:24 - How does the Constitution build impartiality into the Judiciary?
03:07 - How do judges maintain their impartiality?
04:16 - Are there limits on judicial power?
05:31 - What impact does judicial impartiality have on daily life?
06:30 - What impact does an impartial Judiciary have on democracy?

The seven-minute video addresses six questions about how judges apply the law in an even-handed manner. Judges touch on the impact of an impartial judiciary on daily life, how the Constitution safeguards judicial impartiality, and how judges maintain their impartiality in the cases and controversies that come before them.

“Every day that you walk out of your house and walk down the street, you are exercising your rights under the Constitution,” said Judge James E. Boasberg, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. “Who protects you when the government interferes with those rights that are stated in the First Amendment? The Judiciary does.”

Judges also share their perspectives on what impartiality means to them.

“We are not beholden to any one group,” said Judge Nancy E. Brasel, of the District of Minnesota. “We are not subject to outside pressures … to politics in particular.”

The video is part of Court Shorts a series of brief educational videos about the federal courts and Constitutional principles.

Find additional educational resources: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federa...

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