THE ROBING ROOM

Judge Wilkerson is arguably one of the fairest judges in the federal system. He follows the law impartially; he applies the Constitution with the rigor it demands; he's talented at helping parties settle cases; and although he is a former prosecutor, he displays no pro-government bias. If every judge presided like he does, litigation would be less costly and more predictable, benefiting everyone except the knavish purveyors of frivolous strike suits. He's a boon to the rest of the bar and to the public at large. Bravo, Judge!