This case has been cited 1 times or more.
|
2003-10-15 |
CARPIO, J. |
||||
| The Court cannot emphasize enough the pivotal role lower court judges play in the promotion of the people's faith in the judiciary. Unlike the appellate court justices, they are the so-called "front-liners" who give human face to the judicial branch at the "grassroots" level in their interaction with litigants and those who do business with the courts. [11] The admonition in Canon 2 that judges must not only "avoid impropriety [but also] the appearance of impropriety" is more sternly applied to them. [12] It is in this light that the Court frowns upon the holding by trial court judges of in-chamber meetings with litigants or their counsels without the presence of the adverse party. [13] | |||||