Wearing wigs in courts has long been used to foster respect and formality amongst trial participants, and today they remain an effective way of helping judges feel more powerful as they work to provide impartial decisions in each case.
Barristers wear black silk gowns and horsehair wigs with horizontal curls at the crown and looped tails on either side for styling purposes.
The History of Wigs in the Legal Profession
Wigs worn by lawyers and judges have long been seen as a symbol of formality, respect, and authority. Their presence serves as a reminder that lawyers strive to uphold justice while remaining impartial without favoritism or personal biases influencing decisions made within legal profession.
Wigs first became fashionable in 17th-century England as part of King Charles II’s influence, quickly becoming part of upper-class fashion and accepted as a sign of professionalism by legal professionals.
These days, lawyers still wear traditional and reverent wigs as a mark of respect and tradition in many jurisdictions around the globe. Made out of yellowed horsehair, their production can take up to three weeks and cost hundreds of dollars.
The United States stands out as one of few countries where lawyers and judges aren’t expected to wear wigs as courtroom attire, reflecting its emphasis on practicality over historical traditions. Meanwhile, in other nations like Nigeria wigs are an integral component of courtroom attire.
The Role of Wigs in Court
Although wigs have fallen out of fashion in general society, they still play an essential role within the legal profession. Judges and barristers utilize them as part of their attire in striking the ideal balance between exuding authority while remaining personable; additionally they serve as a visual reminder of law’s history and traditions that shape it.
Kevin Newton, a Washington, DC-based lawyer studying law at University College London believes wigs serve as a symbol of anonymity and impartiality for judges who wear them, representing how law should always take precedence over any personal identity issues.
Judges and barristers wear various types of wigs depending on which court they’re appearing in, to uphold tradition and show respect for its historical powers while creating an air of formality during court proceedings. Furthermore, these wigs serve as visual indicators of hierarchy within law; making it easy to determine who holds authority.
The Symbolism of Wigs in Court
Wigs or peruke are symbols of authority and tradition, which may explain why judges and barristers choose to wear them in court proceedings; it adds formality and solemnity that heighten the drama of courtroom proceedings.
A judge wearing a wig also helps maintain anonymity and disassociates themselves from any personal associations to cases they decide upon, helping to ensure impartial decisions can be reached in all circumstances.
Though wigs became less fashionable among the general public during the late eighteenth century, they remain an integral symbol for legal professionals today. Wigs serve as a reminder of its long history while helping promote professionalism, neutrality, and tradition within courts around the world. As public trust in legal systems declines around the globe, continuing use of wigs could help restore it thereby creating a more credible image for the legal profession as whole.
The Role of Wigs in Today’s Court
Wigs are a symbol of authority within the legal profession and continue to play an integral part of courtroom proceedings around the world. While judges’ wigs may be worn more ceremonially nowadays than functionally, they still maintain tradition and formality within courtrooms across the globe.
Barristers wear wigs to distinguish themselves from solicitors and establish an authority hierarchy within court proceedings. Wigs also protect judges by keeping them anonymous so as to prevent anyone seeing them as having personal involvement with any case they hear about.
Today’s modern wigs are composed of synthetic fibres and hemp for an ethical alternative to horsehair wigs, offering more of an eco-friendly solution than horsehair alternatives. Although not required in all courts anymore, wigs remain an iconic symbol of legal authority that are an essential component of UK legal heritage. MWakili provides legal training courses and services that give an in-depth examination into the history and meaning behind legal wigs – come visit them now!