Judge

A judge or justice is an appointed or elected official who presides over a
court. The powers, functions, and training of judges varies widely from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In the United States, judges are not trained
separately from lawyers and are generally appointed or elected from among
practicing attorneys. In most civil law jurisdictions judges go to special
schools to be trained after graduating with a legal degree from a
university; after such training they become investigative judges, see
inquisitorial system. In common law countries, judges usually operate
according to the adversarial system of justice under the applicable rules of
civil procedure.

In the common law system, when there is a jury trial, the judge generally
decides issues of law, i.e. which law applies and what the law requires,
while the jury decides facts, i.e who did what, who is guilty, what is the
amount of damages. Historically in Europe in the middle ages, juries often
stated the law by consensus or majority and the judge applied it to the
facts as he saw them. This practice generally no longer exists. Notably,
while common law jurisdictions retain the jury system, civil law has
abandoned the jury in favor of a judge-based system.

Being a judge is a very prestigeous position in society, and as a result a
variety of solemn traditions have become associated with the occupation. In
most nations of the world judges wear long robes, usually black or red, and
sit on an elevated platform during trials. In some countries, notably
Britain, judges also wear long wigs and use special gavels to instill order
in the courtroom.

The judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, and the judges of the
supreme courts of several U. S. states and other countries are called
"justices." In the United Kingdom, a comparable rank is held by the Judicial
Committee of the House of Lords; its judges are not called judges, but "Law
Lords", and sit in the House of Lords as peers. The justices of the supreme
courts usually hold higher offices than the justice of the peace, a judge
who holds police court in some jurisdictions and who typically tries small
claims and misdemeanors. However, the state of New York inverts the usual
order, with the Supreme Court of the State of New York being the trial
court, and the Court of Appeals being the highest court.

Famous and Infamous Judges

   * Solomon
   * Solon
   * Pontius Pilate
   * George Jeffreys
   * Sir Redmond Barry
   * Sir Francis Bacon
   * Sir Edward Coke
   * Sir Thomas More
   * Learned Hand
   * Oliver Wendell Holmes
   * Louis Brandeis
   * Sir Matthew Hale
   * Richard Posner
   * John Marshall
   * Roy Bean
   * Lance Ito
   * Earl Warren
   * Thurgood Marshall

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