Awkward encounter between Miami judge and a defendant she knows from middle school

The judge made it kinda awkward

No she didn't.

Why is that bad?

Like she was smiling while he was just crying.. At least I think he was crying

She knew him, but she's a judge. If she can't honestly sentence someone she has known at one point of her life, then she shouldn't be a judge. If you found your father on trial for murder, and the evidence pointed him guilty, would you sentence him to death as is ordered by law? If your answer is no, you shouldn't be a judge.

Conflict of Interest exists for a reason. It doesn't matter whether or not she trusts herself to handle the case fairly. Of course some people aren't capable of sentencing people they knew- it doesn't make them a bad judge, and again, obviously people understand this, or it wouldn't exist. A case has to be completely fair, and to ensure that, the judge and jury are not allowed any prior association with the people involved in the case. If they knew them before, no matter what the truth is, it could be argued that swayed them, and there's no real way to prove otherwise (short of a lie detector test, which isn't always accurate and they frankly wouldn't bring out for small cases or the would just make the people involved take tests.)