The Sacred Calling of Judging: Reflections on Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake’s Jurisprudential Philosophy
by admin on | 2025-11-03 14:43:37
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Being a judge is not a job; it is a calling. Being appointed a judge is akin to priesthood. Today, the idea that judgeship is akin to priesthood subsists because of the belief that judges epitomize righteousness, fairness, and justice. Acceptance of the calling is like entering a monastery, a place of worship occupied by monks living under religious vows.” — Justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake justice Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake’s evocative words situate the office of the judge within a moral and almost spiritual framework. His analogy of judgeship as “priesthood” and the judiciary as a “monastery” extends beyond rhetorical flourish—it articulates a profound philosophy of judicial ethics and the moral consciousness that ought to animate the administration of justice. In this vision, judging is not a career but a vocation— an enduring commitment to fairness, truth, and righteousness. In contemporary judicial discourse, where debates about independence, accountability, and legitimacy abound, Justice Dingake’s reflection reminds us that the authority of the judiciary derives not solely from constitutional mandate but from the moral integrity of those who interpret it. The notion that judges “epitomize righteousness” restores the ethical dimension of justice—an element too often eclipsed by proceduralism and institutional formalism. Justice Dingake’s intellectual legacy, spanning Botswana, Papua New Guinea, and several international tribunals, reflects a jurisprudential compass oriented toward a universal ethical vision of law.
