Is it unethical for a judge, in a summary criminal case or a summary traffic case, to acquit someone, even though the judge knows the person is guilty, for the sole reason of exercising some sort of mercy or to give the person a second chance?
The question is a very interesting one, and perhaps indirectly reflects to some extent on some of the accusations in Philadelphia Traffic Court. Clearly, how a judge decides a case can never be revealed. No judicial officer can ever be forced to reveal his or her decision-making process, as in Leber v. Stretton, 928 A.2d 262 (Pa. Superior, 2007).
