I know some trials can be a bit boring, however the judge isn't supposed to fall asleep during it.


Link: Australian judge sentenced pair to zzzzzzzzzzzz! | Oddly Enough | Reuters

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My goodness, I wouldn't have thought it possible!!!
(It wasn't snoring, it was blowflies ... did anyone check his pulse?)

Now here is a puzzle. Judges, at the top end of a profession requiring a sharp, alert mind, had no upper age limit beyond which they could not work. They could only resign or be sacked fro extreme misconduct. Senility didn't count.

I don't know if that has changed in all states, but it has in some. Also, the Senior Judges tend to be quite serious with their staff when things like that happen (and get noticed).

In the US, as to state courts it varies. Many state and local judgeships are term-limited elected positions. On the federal level, such as the Supreme Court, they're appointed and it's for life. Some of the Supremes are in their late 80s now. ... zzzzzzzzzz ....

This reminds me of a situation that occurred several years ago in Texas, which is notorious for its high-visibility executions of convicted criminals. One guy had been sentenced to death, and appealed to the Texas supreme court. Turned out he had been represented by a public defender (lawyer) appointed by the court, and his lawyer had fallen asleep on numerous occasions during the trial.

You'd think his sentence would be overturned on the basis of inadequate representation, wouldn't you? Nope. The Texas supreme court in its wisdom decided that the defendant couldn't prove that his lawyer had slept through important parts of the trial.

One of the judges responsible for that atrocious decision was a woman named Priscilla Owen. She was later nominated by Bush for a position on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, a federal appellate judgeship that's for life. It took several attempts to get her appointment confirmed by Congress, but eventually she made it. At least she was never nominated for a US Supreme Court position.

"Set a new course. There's coffee in that nebula." -- Capt. Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager

That's almost like kill 'em all, and let God sort them out!

Our judges are not elected (which I think is good, it shouldn't be a popularity contest). They more or less compete with their peers in the legal game, the usual progression being lawyer to magistrate to judge. Some choose not to play because they can make more money practicing law than sitting on the bench.