"Systemic racism" refers to systems that produce racially disparate outcomes regardless of the individual motivations, values, or personal qualities of the people working within them. The criminal justice system doesn't require individual police officers, lawyers or judges to hold racist views in order to structurally uphold white supremacy. But -- as the case of suspended Pennsylvania judge Mark Tranquilli vividly illustrates -- plenty of them do anyway.
Read MoreA Judicial Edition double feature:
1) Contempt is the primary mechanism judges use to maintain their authority over court proceedings. But some abuse that power.
2) A judge's racist remark is caught on tape, and wow. Just wow.
Read MoreIt was pretty bad when Chicago judge Jessica Arong O'Brien was found guilty on federal charges of mortgage fraud. It was worse when she refused to give up her seat on the Cook County bench for more than six months after the conviction, continuing to draw a paycheck even after losing her law license.
Read MoreThe close working relationship between a Texas attorney and Hidalgo County Judge Rudy Delgado illustrates the old adage: a good lawyer knows the law, but a great lawyer knows the judge.
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