judge
Definition
noun
-
an official who presides over a court and in civil cases decides which party is in the right
Examples a County Court judge • a judge in the Divorce Court • The judge sent him to prison for embezzlement.(Note In the UK it is planned to transfer the appointment of judges to a Judicial Appointments Board.)
- one of the fifteen members of the European Court of Justice, appointed by the Member States
verb
-
to decide
Example He judged it was time to call an end to the discussions.
COMMENT In England, judges are appointed by the Lord Chancellor on the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Committee. The minimum requirement is that one should be a barrister or solicitor of ten years’ standing. The majority of judges are barristers, but they cannot practise as barristers. Recorders are practising barristers who act as judges on a part-time basis. The appointment of judges is not a political appointment, and judges remain in office unless they are found guilty of gross misconduct. Judges cannot be Members of Parliament. In the USA, state judges can be appointed by the state governor or can be elected; in the federal courts and the Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the President, but the appointment has to be approved by Congress.
Pronounciation
/dʒʌdʒ/