The Judge tells the remarkable story of the first woman judge in the family court system of the West Bank. Women have been judges in the civil, criminal, and administrative court system there since the 1970s, but family, or Sharia, courts handle divorce, child support, and domestic abuse. Judge Kholoud al-Faqih is extremely strict and works at top speed, enforcing decorum and pointedly cutting to the chase during hearings of her cases. Kholoud has two “shifts”: before and after her day at work, she devotes herself to her role at home. Experts weigh in on the “cocktail” of origins of the current system and its reputation for tolerance as being grounded in the many governments that have ruled over this land: Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and Israeli. Opinions are divided on the new opportunities for women to serve, but in a conservative society, it is men who make the decisions about who can be a family court judge.  NK

Q&A following screening