Al wrote:
Isn't their some judging rule that a judge should re-curse him/her self if
they know who owns the plant and this knowledge will affect (or effect ...I
forget which) their ability to judge it?

I curse myself over and over... Yes, a judge should recuse himself if
he knows the owner and/or has a material interest in the plant (made the
cross, for example, or has several hundred of them on the bench awaiting
sale...). It is a judgment call, and the basic rule is that if there
would be any chance of the appearance of impropriety, then you should
recuse yourself.

In reality, we know a fairly large percentage of the time whose plants
are whose, or have a really good guess. At least for plants brought to
the judging center (judges bring their own plants, too...). We don't
actively discuss ownership when examining plants, of course. Even if
you are anonymous for judging (the ideal situation) at some point they
need to write down the name of the owner on the form.

I personally don't have a problem judging a plant when I know or suspect
who the owner is, since I can maintain the appropriate distance. Quite
frankly, I could maintain the same distance judging my own plants (not
that it would be necessary, and that is definitely against the rules).
If anything, I'd be harder on my own, and I frequently leave awardable
plants at home because i'm too harsh. If for some reason I couldn't
maintain impartiality (I hate the person exhibiting, for example), then
I hope I'd be honest enough with myself to admit that. It hasn't
happened yet though.


--
Rob's Rules: http://littlefrogfarm.com
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a) See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to obtain more
orchids, obtain more credit