The judge will have the written outline arguments, and will be focusing on the parts that need greater interrogation. And they will also be juggling various factors -- there's limited court time; letting the case drag on is a potential source as injustice too; etc. On top of that, each side will be looking for advantages within the constraints of allowed legal procedure. All of these will contribute to what's being seen on the day.
If the judge missteps according to procedure, they're open to having the judgement appealed, so they're highly motivated to apply the rules correctly.
I'm not saying that the outcome is just, or that the laws themselves are ok. But the procedure seems ordinary to me, a lay person, and if there _are_ problems with it, they will be technical and unlikely to be spotted in an article like this.