Attending to the whole health of the judiciary
As an anthropologist of law, I’ve been working with judicial officers for over a decade. I’ve sat in their courtrooms, collaborated with them on research, and had countless conversations with judges over lunch, over zoom, in their chambers, and at professional conferences.
With the pandemic, everything changed. And it keeps changing. If you’re reading this page, you probably already know: Courts continue to tighten their budgets, more hearings are going (and staying) online, more litigants are self-represented, and more court decisions are publicly scrutinized.
More trauma, fuller dockets, less time, more threats. It is not an easy time to be a judge. It is also a vitally important time to be a judge.
As ever, judging is a distinguished responsibility with wide-ranging impacts on individuals, communities, and the law. To do it ethically, diligently, and with sustained clarity of mind, the judge must be well.
What is “whole health?”
I am a mixed-methods researcher and a professor at a medical school. I am also board-certified in critical incident stress management (individual and group) and am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in spiritual care for people of diverse faith traditions—or no tradition at all. So when I say “whole health,” I mean it. My attention is on:
Physical wellbeing—including allostatic load, or the cumulative impacts of chronic stress on the body
Mental health—cognitive functioning, psychological wellbeing
Emotional health—feelings like grief, fear, isolation
Behavioral health—changes in diet and exercise, transition between work and home life
Spiritual health—sense of purpose, vocation, moral injury
Report based on a survey of ~100 judicial officers at a state trial court, 2025. Report includes all data, analyses, and recommendations for the participating court. Click to download.
I provide court-specific, data-driven resources, workshops, and customized interventions to help judicial officers process the emotional and existential (i.e., not just legal) dimensions of their work.
“Judicial well-being is essential for individual judges’ occupational health and sustainability, for court users’ experience in court, for the quality of justice, and ultimately for public confidence in the courts. As such, judicial well-being warrants attention and investment commensurate with other institutional priorities.”
UNODC Nauru Declaration for Judicial Wellbeing, 2024
What does your district need to really invest in the wellbeing of judicial officers?
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You are such a warm and caring person. I instantly felt comfortable talking with you and sharing some of my experiences. I am sure you have that effect on everyone! I cannot thank you enough... Your experience is invaluable and we can all learn so much from you.
State Court Judge, Upper Midwest
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Thank you so much for your wonderful course. Your care and love for judges is so unique, necessary, and kind! I can't say enough how much I appreciate it and admire you... I feel lucky to have been a part of that course with you, BJI, and all of the other judges.
Tribal Court Judge (“Cultivating Health and Healing in the Judiciary” participant)
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I'm excited to have you as an ally/resource for our team. Thank you for the work that you are doing and for bringing it to us here in [Redacted] County. We will be a better bench because of your work.
State Court Judge, Southwest
Let’s work together
Interested in learning more?