Judges and prosecutors influence processes of violent conflict and peacebuilding through their decisions. This paper examines the Turkish judiciary’s response to the Kurdish conflict (1984-present). Although it is generally assumed that members of the legal profession tend to act on nationalist and militaristic premises, the specific ways in which ideology and professional concerns influence judicial decision-making need to be explored further. Through a close reading of important appellate court decisions as well as in-depth interviews with members of the legal profession, I argue that the interaction of violence and law in Turkey involves a complex set of motivations, constraints and outcomes. While the judges report being constrained by the political and physical realities of violent conflict, their own agency in shaping those conflict dynamics creates cannot be ignored.