The Broken Jug: Adam's Inappropriate Actions as a Judge

One of the first things I notice in this play was how Judge Adam acted towards the plaintiffs and defendants. When the towns people first came in and sat down, Judge Adam did not ask what the complaint was but just sat there. He had to be prompted by district judge Walter to ask questions. This continues as the case moves forward. Judge Adam proves his incompetence as a judge by not asking questions, siding with Frau Martha, and threatening to beat Ruprecht for speaking out of turn. Not only does this demonstrate his incompetence but it also shows that he's got something to hide. One of the most recent judge scandals that I can remember is where the judge on the Shannon Christian/ Christopher Newsome case revealed that he was under the influence while presiding over the case and was dismissed. Much of the case had to be retried, which leads me to the fact that Judge Adam was a very heft drinker. He was drunk the night before and then got up and had another drink. Maybe he's going off of the "take a hair from the dog that bit you" but I still think that him drinking before and during a case is dangerous considering alcohol clouds judgement. Even if he wasn't the cause of the case, Judge Adam could still be dismissed as Judge for simply not doing his job correctly. Judges are supposed to be the good in the community, but Judge Adam demonstrates that not all judges can be trusted.