This book reflects a practising advocate's views on the English judicial system. The author introduces his critical inquiry by questioning how judges are appointed, trained, disciplined, criticized, mysticized and publicized. He also questions what changes are needed in this area of government, a subject about which most laymen, and many lawyers have very pronounced views in private but are inhibited from expressing in public. The legal and historical facts in the text are combined with anecdotes about judges past and present. Parts of this book first appeared as articles in the Guardian from 1979-1987 and also draws on material previously published in the Listener and The Times Literary Supplement. David Pannick is author of Sex Discrimination Law.