Honi soit qui mal y pense. Shame on those who see evil there.
Does the repairman’s bill seem inflated? Shame on you for challenging his integrity!
Does the referee seem to favor the opposing team? Shame on you for questioning his impartiality!
Is your spouse spending lots of time with a cute co-worker? Shame on you for thinking what you’re thinking!
Hmm. It might be nice to think the best of people at all times, and it’s certainly reasonable to give them the benefit ofthe doubt until you know better, but that honi so it stuff seems kind of naive at times.
After all, some repairman pad bills, some refs play favorites, and some spouses cheat.
Just because it looks like that’s what they’re doing doesn’t mean that they are; but the way that it looks is, in and of itself, a problem. Which is where the whole idea of “avoiding the appearance of impropriety” comes from. If it looks like you’re doing something improper, someone’s liable to think that you are. So, don’t do that thing.
This sensible rule applies even more so to people who hold a public trust. It’s not a good idea for them to do anythingthat leads the public to question their trustworthiness. Judges, especially. After all, judges are supposed to have judgment, and they should expect to beheld to a standard at least as high as what they impose on others.
Judge Fredericka Phillips of the 61st Judicial District Court in Harris County has failed in this regard.
After presiding over a case that resulted in a jury verdict for the defendants, she attended a celebratory luncheon with the law firm representing one of the defendants and then awarded the firm $2 million in attorneys’ fees. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued awarning to her last month.
Did Judge Phillips do something wrong? We don’t know, but it sure doesn’t look good, and that in itself is a problem. So, is it shame on us or shame on her?