This portion of the blog is to share occasional thoughts on more evergreen judge topics.
A quick note on the thoughts here: you do not have to agree with me. In fact, my primary goal with the articles I will be posting here will be to generate discussion.
The highest compliment you can pay to me is to read and think at the same time! The hierarchical nature of the judge program and the reliance junior judges have on the recommendations and good opinion of senior judges can make junior judges a little scared to disagree with their numerical superiors. We are all very paranoid about our reputations. At its worst this can create a culture of distrust and our policies and procedures stagnate. Our community is at its best when there is some carbonation going on – dialogue creates trust and improves the tournaments we oversee!
- Why “Tree of Tales”?My first “judge friends” outside of Canada were the US judges in New England because the Boston and Maine area are closest to where I live in Canada. I have… Read more: Why “Tree of Tales”?