I am a young lawyer and I have heard the term “black robe disease.” What does that mean?
The term “black robe disease,” sometimes also known as “judge-itis,” is a malady that can affect judges of all ages, unfortunately. Luckily, most judges have enough common sense and respect for their position to not allow their good judgment and treatment of lawyers and litigants to be overcome by their sense of self-importance. The essence of judge-itis is a judge who thinks he or she is so important that he or she can act unilaterally and arbitrarily. There are classic examples of judges who had the black-robe disease and suffered the consequences before the Judicial Conduct Board and the Court of Judicial Discipline in recent years.
