A central aspect of Thai legal consciousness since the mid-twentieth century, widely shared among the general population, has been a perception that judges have an exalted status entitling them to make broad-ranging pronouncements about social and political issues as well as legal matters. Popular legal consciousness of the Thai judge has to a large extent been shared by the judges themselves, as well as by their families and followers. The power and authority of Thai judges go far beyond the limited formal role they are given in Thailand’s civil-law system. This article suggests that the exceptional status of the Thai judge derives from a process of identity construction, emphasizing four traits that set the ideal judge apart from ordinary people. The first is that a Thai judge must be a “khon di” (good person), with specific reference to the traditions of Thai Buddhism. The second is that a Thai judge must be polite, kind, and socially refined—a “phudi” (proper gentleman). The third characteristic of the ideal Thai judge is that he or she must be highly educated and knowledgeable about the law—a “phuru” (learned and wise person). The fourth trait is that a Thai judge must be a “phupakdi” (loyal servant of the king), not only loyal to the monarchy as an institution, but to the late King Rama IX as a person. When the identity of the Thai judge is constructed from these four constituent elements, the pronouncements of the judge acquire legitimacy, even when they range beyond the narrow letter of the law. The article explores this central aspect of Thai legal consciousness by analyzing the construction of judges’ identities through a distinctive set of historical documents—the cremation volumes (nangsue ngan sop) that are published and distributed at the funerals of noted public figures. These volumes contain a wealth of biographical information as well as related legal and historical material that shed light on the life and work of Thailand’s most prominent judges during the past 50 years.

中文翻译：

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构建泰国法官的身份：美德、地位和权力

自 20 世纪中叶以来，泰国法律意识的一个核心方面在普通民众中普遍存在，即认为法官具有崇高的地位，使他们有权就社会和政治问题以及法律事务发表广泛的声明。泰国法官的大众法律意识在很大程度上得到了法官本人以及他们的家人和追随者的认同。泰国法官的权力和权威远远超出了他们在泰国大陆法系中的有限正式角色。本文认为，泰国法官的特殊地位源于一个身份建构的过程，强调了使理想法官有别于普通人的四个特征。首先是泰国法官必须是“孔迪”（好人），具体提到泰国佛教的传统。第二个是泰国法官必须有礼貌、和蔼可亲、社交文雅——“普地”（正派绅士）。理想的泰国法官的第三个特点是，他或她必须受过高等教育并了解法律——“普鲁”（学识渊博的人）。第四个特点是泰国法官必须是“普帕迪”（国王的忠诚仆人），不仅忠于君主制作为一个机构，而且忠于已故国王拉玛九世作为一个人。当泰国法官的身份由这四个构成要素构成时，法官的声明就获得了合法性，即使它们超出了狭义的法律条文。本文通过一组独特的历史文献——火葬卷（南苏颜索普)在著名公众人物的葬礼上出版和分发。这些卷包含丰富的传记信息以及相关的法律和历史材料，这些材料揭示了过去 50 年来泰国最杰出法官的生活和工作。