To Be Fair - Confessions of a District Court Judge by Rosemary Riddell
To Be Fair - Confessions of a District Court Judge by Rosemary Riddell
To Be Fair: Confessions of a District Court Judge – Rosemary Riddell (Upstart Press, $39.99)
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reviewed by Louise Ward, Wardini Books
Rosemary Riddell became a judge at the age of 40 after a career as a lawyer, film director and actor. Upon deciding to retire and relinquishing her actingwarrant, Riddell thought that things needed to be said.
Riddell's life is a fascinating one. Her marriage to writer Mike Riddell, family life with three children, directing the incredible, award-winning The Insatiable Moon based on Mike's novel, the death of their daughter Polly. Her own life is rich and complex, and then there are the stories of the people she meets in the courts.
To Be Fair is chock full of anecdotes from cases Riddell and her colleagues have tried. So what are the things that need to be said? There is discussion around how we care for those with poor mental health, how the justice system is often based around outdated laws that are no longer fit for purpose, how families tear one another apart in games of tit for tat. Throughout it all there is a central theme of judging each case as it arrives, and giving every case, and every person involved, the attention they deserve.
I hope that all, or at least most, judges have the empathy that Rosemary Riddell does. She reflects upon the essential dignity of each of us, of every person who has come before her, regardless of age, race, whether they're wearing an expensive suit or their pyjamas. She wonders if there is such a thing as a truly evil person. Her belief that everyone deserves a fair hearing, without unqualified judgment (but they look bad, they don't seem remorseful, the newspaper headline said this) is reassuring — there is surely a basic goodness in most of us.
To Be Fair is entertaining – there are many anecdotes of weird and wonderful behaviour - but it is also thought provoking. There are lessons to be learned — we have been told to be kind so often that as a society we might have kindness fatigue. Thank goodness that here is a book to reiterate why we should be. Of course we'll judge, but let's make our judgments fair.
