Why did some judges wear masks when making decisions in traditional societies?

In many traditional societies, judges wore masks primarily to protect themselves from future recriminations. By donning a mask, the judge assumed the identity of a traditionally sanctioned spirit from the past.1

This practice allowed the wearer to shift the responsibility for the legal decision onto the spirit, rather than the individual judge. In this context, the mask served as a powerful tool for social control and judicial authority, ensuring that the judgment was viewed as an expression of ancestral or supernatural will rather than a personal act. For example, members of the Dukduk, a secret society in New Britain, utilized monstrous masks to police, judge, and execute offenders, embodying aggressive supernatural spirits to enforce community standards.1