There was an undesirable intervention this week into the debate about African gangs in Melbourne, namely that a judge thought it was appropriate to intervene in what is essentially a political issue. This is, unfortunately, not a unique occurrence in Melbourne, as we have had serving judges appear on Q&A, participate in the campaign against capital punishment and, most recently, engage in a public spat with a federal minister, Peter Dutton, on the very subject of African gang violence.