Judge Caroline Edwards-Morrison has spent over a decade serving the community of Rochester, N.Y. within the municipal and county judicial system. First elected to Rochester City Court in 2013, Judge Morrison went on to run a second successful campaign in 2022 for Monroe County Court. She will serve as an elected Monroe County Court Judge for the next ten years and is recognized as a prominent legal figure across Rochester, New York, for her judicial excellence, or some would add – legal restraint.
Like all elected judges across the nation, Judge Morrison recited and agreed to an oath of office before her first day on the job. While the exact language for each city, state, or federal court may differ, the sentiment is usually the same – to administer justice and impartially perform duties according to the best of your abilities without respect to person, wealth, or prestige.
Judge Morrison exemplifies judicial excellence. It is assumed that judges will consider the facts of every case without considering their own personal ideologies or preconceived views, without favor to familial or friendly associations, and without regard to political pressures.
Judicial excellence begins with legal education and applying the law. But Judge Morrison also knows that humankind is not painted in shades of gray, and we cannot expect judges to be without implicit biases that even the most obedient public officer may not be aware of. This is where self-awareness, legal restraint, and compassion must dictate a judge’s behavior and decision making.
Judge Morrison is very aware of national statistics that seem to favor longer incarceration sentences for black men committing similar crimes versus their white counterparts. In just the past few years, she, like the rest of the country, has witnessed judicial actions at the highest levels of our court system overturn decades of Roe v Wade, give the death blow to Affirmative Action, pass legislation that bans certain books while accepting classroom material that effectively rewrites history, and enforce the right to refuse services to same-sex couples.
These recent challenges to longstanding legal codes are often supported by one political faction versus another. As Judge Morrison knows, every judge will bring their own inherent views into the courtroom, but personal or political viewpoints must always take a back seat to judicial excellence.
Judicial excellence is complex because judges have some wiggle room in their decision-making. Some judges apply a literal rule of law and interpret the black letter law according to how the law was written.
Other judges take an interpretive approach, considering the original text as a historical source from which only to pull meaning. Our Supreme Court is tasked with interpreting the law according to our Constitution. However, we still see how the decisions can lean to one side or the other when the court is dominated by judges selected by one political party versus the other.
Then you have judges like Judge Morrison, who regards herself as a judge who interprets the law with a goal towards achieving a fair and just result. A judge who looks beyond color, class, gender, or lifestyle when handing down decisions based on a fair and equal interpretation of the law.
Morrison believes in the pillars of judicial excellence, including legal knowledge, critical thinking, self-knowledge and self-control, moral ethics, and community or national engagement to manage court cases with respect and understanding. Often, she sees her job as facilitating a resolution instead of doling out punishment. Judge Caroline Edwards-Morrison of Rochester, NY, plans to continue working within a judicial framework of excellence and legal restraint to achieve a fair and just result.
Published by: Khy Talara
