Deconstructing Judicial Expressions of Disgust

Though much has been written about judicial anger and other emotional displays from the judicial bench, comparatively little attention has been paid to disgust. This particular emotion does not seem to be expressed or reflected by judges as much as other negative sentiments or feelings; “disgust” also has an emotional resonance that we might not associate with things like anger and sadness, and exists in more than one form. Focusing on a sample of cases in which judges have used the term, the article questions what type of disgust is being shown (“core” disgust or “socio-moral” disgust), whether the emotion is experienced or articulated, and what the significance is of using the word “disgust” in the judicial narrative.