Chapter 4: To Serve as a Judge
In Chapter 4: “To Serve as a Judge,” we learned about Judge Truman Morrison. At the time of The Washington Post investigation, Morrison had already served as a judge for decades, and decided numerous criminal cases involving sexual violence in addition to Lauren Clark’s case. We contemplate whether a person in power’s own behavior and understanding of sexual violence would influence his decision-making process in such cases.
A key takeaway from this chapter comes from Lauren Clark’s comment towards the end of the episode. She says, “the people deciding what to do about these things are the people doing these things.” Her statement speaks to the greater conversation about Judge Morrison’s position of power on the bench. It is common for rape and sexual assault victims to say that they did not receive justice from the criminal justice system. Judges in sexual violence cases may express reasoning colored by pervasive cultural myths about sexual assault that victim-blame and/or empathize with the alleged perpetrator. The judges, after all, are members of a society that still perpetuates damaging myths about the realities of rape and sexual assault. Without a fundamental shift in our community conversation around sexual violence and the prioritization of education of the issues, those in power to make change will lack the information and skills to do so, and in turn, may end up perpetuating injustice.
Discussion Questions
- Carole Griffin makes a point to make it clear she does not disagree with Judge Morrison’s politics, but is uncomfortable with his position on the bench. Why might she feel obligated to make that justification?
- Amy Brittain uncovers a case from 1981 that Judge Morrison presided over involving a teacher sexually assaulting five students, ages 14-17. How is Judge Morrison’s understanding of sexual violence displayed in his sentencing and comments in that case?
- How can we as active community members work to ensure that there are different people in power and that those in power are educated on critical social issues?