Judge

Context:
- They can (typically) play a crucial role in the legal system by ensuring trials are conducted impartially and according to the law.
- They can (typically) preside over Court proceedings, ensuring they are conducted impartially.
- They can (often) issue rulings based on the law and personal judgment after hearing all witnesses and evidence.
- They can vary widely in terms of powers, functions, and methods of appointment across different jurisdictions.
- They can range from being a trial judge in lower courts to a Supreme Court judge in higher courts.
- They can share some of its powers with a jury in certain legal systems.
- They can, in inquisitorial systems, act as an examining magistrate during criminal investigations.
- ...
Example(s):
- a U.S. Supreme Court Judge who interprets constitutional law and issues landmark rulings.
- a Trial Judge in a criminal court who oversees a case, hears evidence, and delivers a verdict.
- ...
Counter-Example(s):
- Prosecutors, who represent the state or government in bringing charges against the defendant, as opposed to judging the case.
- Defense attorneys, who represent and defend the accused against the charges.
See: Examining Magistrate, Lyman Duff, Supreme Court of Canada, Magistrate, Profession, Law, Justice, Court, Barrister, Prosecutor, Wiktionary:Preside, Judicial Panel.

References

(Wikipedia, 2018) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/judge Retrieved:2018-1-31.
- 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. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and, typically, in an open court. The judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers of the case, assesses the credibility and arguments of the parties, and then issues a ruling on the matter at hand based on his or her interpretation of the law and his or her own personal judgment. In some jurisdictions, the judge's powers may be shared with a jury. In inquisitorial systems of criminal investigation, a judge might also be an examining magistrate.