Judge, much like a doctor, is a highly respected profession here in the US. It requires a whole lot to be a good judge. The skills to judge in a measured and balanced way and to assure justice, instead of injustice, is being administered each and every day take years to develop. There are bad apples on every tree. But on the trees of the Chinese judiciary system, such bad apples appear too abundant.
judge is a high-risk profession every where.
The best protection for a judge is to judge fairly and justly.
That takes a lot of training and hard work, much like a doctor.
The US judiciary system is relatively independent from the other part of the government.
It serves to maintain a tranquil society (we do not use the word harmony--that is simply too hard to achieve--even within a family).
It takes away a lot of pressure from the executive branch, allowing them to focus their attention on other matters.