The contributions in this issue explore a fundamental tension in legal decision-making: the relationship between emotions and the ideal of objectivity. Rather than viewing objectivity as the absence of emotion, the authors demonstrate that it is an active process of emotional management. In legal practice, emotions are not excluded but are carefully handled—regulated, recognized, directed, or rejected—all in the service of creating an appearance of impartiality, authority, and legitimacy.
The issue addresses questions such as: Who is granted the right to express emotions in legal proceedings? Which emotions are deemed credible? How do physical and virtual courtrooms shape the emotional atmosphere of hearings? And how do judges and other legal actors manage their own and others’ emotions? The authors also examine how cultural expectations and stereotypes influence the interpretation of emotions in legal contexts, and how the concept of legal objectivity is constructed through emotional labor.
The entire issue is freely available on the journal’s website.
This special issue makes a significant contribution to the growing field of law and emotions. It invites reflection on the idea that emotions in the legal realm are not a disturbance but a foundational element of how justice is practiced.
