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Law vocabulary · Courts & Judges

Bench

Meaning in law, with examples

/bentʃ/nounCommon term

In law, bench means: The judges of a court considered as a group, or the raised seat where a judge sits in court.

In Turkish: hakim kürsüsü, hakimler, mahkeme heyeti

How it is used

'The bench' means the judges, just as 'the bar' means the lawyers. A lawyer who becomes a judge is 'appointed to the bench'. In English magistrates' courts the panel of magistrates is also called a bench. A 'bench trial' is a trial decided by a judge without a jury.

Example sentences

  1. She spent twenty years at the bar before she was appointed to the bench.

  2. The barrister approached the bench to hand up a copy of the authority.

Common collocations

  • appointed to the bench
  • the bench and the bar
  • bench trial
  • from the bench
  • judgeA public official who runs a court hearing, listens to both sides and decides the case, or tells the jury how the law applies.
  • barThe legal profession as a whole, especially lawyers who are allowed to argue in court; in the UK it means barristers as a group.
  • magistrateA judicial officer who deals with less serious cases; in England and Wales usually a trained volunteer without a law degree, in the US a judge who assists federal district judges.
  • courtroomThe room in a court building where hearings and trials take place, with places for the judge, the parties, their lawyers, witnesses and the public.
  • judiciaryAll the judges of a country considered as a group, and the branch of the state that interprets the law and decides cases.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Courts & Judges

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.