Analyzing the Prosecutor Friendly Judge

Just because a judge usually hands down harsh sentences doesn't mean he's on the side of light and goodness:

Mob leaders [in Chicago] had long advised their allies on the bench to favor the state in most cases. . . Murray Humphreys, the mobster in charge of corrupting public officials in Chicago from the 1930's to the 1960's, encouraged mob-tied judges to cultivate reputations as hanging judges. Then . . . such a judge could do a favor for the mob, and if someone critisized him, he could just say, "Look at my record; look at my statistics. You can't pick out this one case."

Courtroom 302

That's a little disturbing no matter what side of the bench you stand on.