Socrates aptly described the essential qualities of a good judge: “Four things belong to a judge: To hear courteously; to answer wisely; to consider soberly; and to decide impartially.” These words remain as true today as they were when Socrates first spoke them more than 2,400 years ago. Transcending this basic philosophy of felicitous judicial attributes, the Illinois Supreme Court has adopted formal rules of judicial conduct. Several of the court’s rules and underlying canons embrace the …