JUDGES IN A RACE AGAINST TIME. SELECTED COMMENTS IN LIGHT OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

Abstract

The paper presents deliberations concerning adjudicating a case without undue delay, from the perspective of statements presented by judges which were gathered in the course of an empirical research project. The paper provides a voice in the discussion, focusing on some remarks made by the judges. The author, while interviewing judges and gathering questionnaires filled out by judges, collected a number of observations related to the time taken to hear cases. In the article it was shown that judges often pay attention to the problem of significant workload, which also manifests itself in their experiencing different types of emotions. The judges at the same time highlighted positive emotions they felt when the case was successfully resolved early thanks to a conciliatory attitude shown by the parties to the case, as well as negative emotions when the parties undertake actions aiming at prolonging proceedings. The article also analyses the importance of an appropriate preparation for pronouncing a decision by judges. The judges more often than not declared that what they need to make a decision is proper consideration and that they often prefer to put off the decision, in order not to issue it in a hurry, under the influence of strong emotions. Moreover, it is shown in the article that from the judges perspective experience gatheredover the years is significant and it can be very helpful in adjudicating