Book Review: Leonard Edwards' The Role of the Juvenile Court Judge: Practice and Ethics

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12122
• Date: 01 October 2014
• Author: Janice M. Rosa
• Published date: 01 October 2014

THE BOOK SHELF

BOOK REVIEW: LEONARD EDWARDS’ THE ROLE OF THE JUVENILE

COURT JUDGE: PRACTICE AND ETHICS

Reviewed by Hon. Janice M. Rosa (ret.)

This article reviews the first of its kind book on judicial ethics for juvenile and family court judges, written by Judge Leonard

Edwards, retired California judge and national leader for the voice of families and children engaged in court action. The

author’s unique style of instructing by scenarios is both engaging and easily available to judges and nonlawyers alike.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:

• Judge Edwards brings decades of real-time experience to the many questions that confront juvenile and family court

judges

• Edwards’ organization of the material by topic and issue makes it quickly understandable, the logiceasy to follow

• It is the only book published to focus entirely on everydayevents, and the ethical implications, faced by every juvenile

and family court judge

• Those who desire to act as judicial leaders for systems change will find a roadmap through ethical quagmires that will

empower.

Keywords: Book;Ethics;Judiciary;and Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

“Ethical guidelines govern a judge’s conduct both on and off the bench. Everyone knows that

judges must follow the law, but outside of the legal world, few Americans understand that judges are

also bound by ethical rules.”1

Those ethical guidelines are called upon virtually every day and in every case, whenever a juvenile

and family court judge enters the courtroom, engages in conversations, opens the mail, answers a call,

or has an idea for a better way of serving families and children. The scope of the ethical landscape is

arguably more vast for a juvenile and family court judge than any other judicial officer adjudicating

any other type of case.

Consider the following situations:

• A grandparent whose son is involved in a custody case in front of you has just sent you a letter

explaining why you must grant custody to her son.

• You have a brief social conversation at yourchild’s soccer game with another spectator, only to

learn the next week that he has a case in front of you.

• The child whose adoption you just finalized gives youcandy and a framed picture from that day

as a memento for your walls, but you know you are prohibited from receiving gifts.

• You inform the head probation officer, who you have hired, what form you want probation

reports to take on future cases.

• The mediator on one of your cases contacts you to advise that in his session the father

threatened to physically harm the mother.

Correspondence: jan.rosa327@gmail.com

FAMILY COURT REVIEW,Vol. 52 No. 4, October 2014 704–708

© 2014 Association of Familyand Conciliation Cour ts