Judge vs. Jury — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 28, 2023
A judge is a legal professional presiding over court cases; a jury is a group of citizens determining the verdict in a trial.
Difference Between Judge and Jury
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A judge is a trained legal professional, appointed or elected to preside over court proceedings. A jury, on the other hand, consists of ordinary citizens called to serve and make decisions in legal cases.
Judges have the authority to make legal rulings, interpret laws, and oversee court proceedings. Juries are responsible for listening to evidence and making impartial decisions based on the facts presented in a trial.
Judges often have a significant role in guiding the jury, explaining legal standards, and ensuring fair procedures. The jury’s role is limited to deliberation and reaching a verdict based on the evidence.
In some cases, judges may render verdicts without a jury (bench trials). Conversely, juries cannot operate independently without the presence and guidance of a judge.
Judges and juries work together in the legal system, each playing distinct but complementary roles. Judges provide legal expertise and procedural oversight, while juries bring community perspectives and values into the legal process.
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Comparison Chart
Role in Court
Presides over proceedings and interprets laws.
Determines the verdict based on evidence.
Composition
A single legal professional.
A group of citizens, typically 12.
Authority
Makes legal rulings and decisions.
Decides guilt or innocence in a trial.
Training
Trained and experienced in law.
Laypersons without legal training.
Operation
Can operate alone in bench trials.
Cannot function without a judge’s guidance.
Compare with Definitions
Judge
Decides legal matters and interprets laws.
The judge ruled on the objection.
Jury
Responsible for evaluating evidence and facts.
The jury deliberated over the presented facts.
Judge
Oversees trial proceedings for fairness.
The judge maintained order during the trial.
Jury
A group of citizens deciding verdicts in trials.
The jury listened attentively to the evidence.
Judge
A trained professional in law and legal procedures.
The judge’s expertise was evident in her rulings.
Jury
Provides the final decision in a court case.
The jury’s verdict ended the lengthy trial.
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions.
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (the jurors) convened to render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England during the Middle Ages, and are a hallmark of the Anglo common law legal system.
Judge
To form an opinion or estimation of after careful consideration
Judge heights.
Judging character.
Jury
(Law) A body of persons selected to decide a verdict in a legal case, based upon the evidence presented, after being given instructions on the applicable law. Also called petit jury, trial jury.
Judge
(Law) To hear and decide on in a court of law
Judge a case.
Jury
A committee that judges contestants or applicants, as in a competition or exhibition; a panel of judges.
Judge
To pass sentence on; condemn.
Jury
To judge or evaluate by a jury
Jurying submitted samples for a crafts fair.
Judge
To act as one appointed to decide the winners of
Judge an essay contest.
Jury
Intended or designed for temporary use; makeshift
A jury sail.
Judge
To determine or declare after consideration or deliberation
Most people judged him negligent in performing his duties as a parent.
Jury
(law) A group of individuals chosen from the general population to hear and decide a case in a court of law.
Judge
(Informal) To have as an opinion or assumption; suppose
I judge you're right.
Jury
A group of judges in a competition.
Judge
(Bible) To govern; rule. Used of an ancient Israelite leader.
Jury
The audience attending the first night of a performance, whose reaction may determine whether it succeeds or fails.
Judge
To form an opinion or evaluation.
Jury
To judge by means of a jury.
Judge
To act or decide as a judge.
Jury
(nautical) For temporary use; applied to a temporary contrivance.
Jury mast
Jury rudder
Judge
One who makes estimates as to worth, quality, or fitness
A good judge of used cars.
A poor judge of character.
Jury
For temporary use; - applied to a temporary contrivance.
Judge
(Law) A public official who hears and decides cases brought in court.
Jury
A body of people, selected according to law, impaneled and sworn to inquire into and try any matter of fact, and to render their true verdict according to the evidence legally adduced. In criminal trials the number of such persons is usually twelve, but in civil cases and in grand juries it may different. See Grand jury under Grand, and Inquest.
The jury, passing on the prisoner's life.
Judge
(Law) A public official who hears and decides cases or matters in a forum other than a court, such as an administrative proceeding.
Jury
A committee for determining relative merit or awarding prizes at an exhibition or competition; as, the art jury gave him the first prize.
Judge
One appointed to decide the winners of a contest or competition.
Jury
A body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law
Judge
A leader of the Israelites during a period of about 400 years between the death of Joshua and the accession of Saul.
Jury
A committee appointed to judge a competition
Judge
Judges (used with a sing. verb) See Table at Bible.
Jury
Determines guilt or innocence in criminal cases.
The jury delivered a guilty verdict.
Judge
A public official whose duty it is to administer the law, especially by presiding over trials and rendering judgments; a justice.
Jury
An impartial group representing the community.
The jury was carefully selected for impartiality.
Judge
A person who decides the fate of someone or something that has been called into question.
Judge
A person officiating at a sports event, a contest, or similar.
At a boxing match, the decision of the judges is final.
Judge
A person who evaluates something or forms an opinion.
She is a good judge of wine.
They say he is a poor judge of character considering all the unreliable friends he has made.
Judge
A shophet, a temporary leader appointed in times of crisis in ancient Israel.
Judge
(transitive) To sit in judgment on; to pass sentence on (a person or matter).
A higher power will judge you after you are dead.
Judge
(intransitive) To sit in judgment, to act as judge.
Justices in this country judge without appeal.
Judge
(transitive) To judicially rule or determine.
Judge
To sentence to punishment, to judicially condemn.
He was judged to die for his crimes.
Judge
To award judicially; to adjudge.
Judge
(transitive) To form an opinion on; to appraise.
I judge a man’s character by the cut of his suit.
Judge
To constitute a fitting appraisal or criterion of; to provide a basis for forming an opinion on.
Judge
(intransitive) To arbitrate; to pass opinion on something, especially to settle a dispute etc.
We cannot both be right: you must judge between us.
Judge
(transitive) To have as an opinion; to consider, suppose.
I judge it safe to leave the house once again.
Judge
(ambitransitive) To form an opinion; to infer.
I judge from the sky that it might rain later.
Judge
(ambitransitive) To criticize or label another person or thing.
Judge
(ambitransitive) To govern as biblical judge or shophet (over some jurisdiction).
Judge
A public officer who is invested with authority to hear and determine litigated causes, and to administer justice between parties in courts held for that purpose.
The parts of a judge in hearing are four: to direct the evidence; to moderate length, repetition, or impertinency of speech; to recapitulate, select, and collate the material points of that which hath been said; and to give the rule or sentence.
Judge
One who has skill, knowledge, or experience, sufficient to decide on the merits of a question, or on the quality or value of anything; one who discerns properties or relations with skill and readiness; a connoisseur; an expert; a critic.
A man who is no judge of law may be a good judge of poetry, or eloquence, or of the merits of a painting.
Judge
A person appointed to decide in a trial of skill, speed, etc., between two or more parties; an umpire; as, a judge in a horse race.
Judge
One of the supreme magistrates, with both civil and military powers, who governed Israel for more than four hundred years.
Judge
The title of the seventh book of the Old Testament; the Book of Judges.
Judge
To hear and determine, as in causes on trial; to decide as a judge; to give judgment; to pass sentence.
The Lord judge between thee and me.
Father, who art judgeOf all things made, and judgest only right!
Judge
To compare facts or ideas, and perceive their relations and attributes, and thus distinguish truth from falsehood; to determine; to discern; to distinguish; to form an opinion about.
Judge not according to the appearance.
She is wise if I can judge of her.
Judge
To hear and determine by authority, as a case before a court, or a controversy between two parties.
Judge
To examine and pass sentence on; to try; to doom.
God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.
To bring my whole cause 'fore his holiness,And to be judged by him.
Judge
To arrogate judicial authority over; to sit in judgment upon; to be censorious toward.
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Judge
To determine upon or deliberation; to esteem; to think; to reckon.
If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord.
Judge
To exercise the functions of a magistrate over; to govern.
Make us a king to judge us.
Judge
A public official authorized to decide questions bought before a court of justice
Judge
An authority who is able to estimate worth or quality
Judge
Determine the result of (a competition)
Judge
Form an opinion of or pass judgment on;
I cannot judge some works of modern art
Judge
Judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time);
I estimate this chicken to weigh three pounds
Judge
Pronounce judgment on;
They labeled him unfit to work here
Judge
Put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of;
The football star was tried for the murder of his wife
The judge tried both father and son in separate trials
Judge
An official who presides over court cases.
The judge entered the courtroom.
Judge
Has the authority to sentence convicted individuals.
The judge imposed a five-year sentence.
Common Curiosities
Can judges overrule juries?
Generally, no, but judges can set aside a verdict in rare cases.
How long do jurors serve?
It varies, from a single day to the duration of a trial.
Who appoints judges?
Judges are often appointed by government officials or elected.
Can jurors ask questions during a trial?
In some jurisdictions, yes, but it varies.
Do judges have to follow precedents?
Yes, judges often follow legal precedents in their rulings.
Are judges impartial?
Judges are expected to be impartial and fair.
Do all trials have juries?
No, some trials are bench trials, decided by judges.
Can judges explain laws to juries?
Yes, judges often instruct juries on relevant laws.
Are jury decisions always unanimous?
In many cases, yes, but it can vary by jurisdiction.
How are jurors selected?
Jurors are usually randomly selected from voter registration lists.
Can judges dismiss cases?
Yes, judges can dismiss cases for various legal reasons.
How long is jury duty?
It depends on the case and trial length.
Do judges make laws?
No, judges interpret and apply existing laws.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
