What Is Bench Trial
What s a bench trial.
What is bench trial. A bench trial is utilized for many different reasons and only a seasoned criminal defense attorney can properly aid you. In a criminal proceeding in state court a defendant may face a jury trial or a bench trial. Generally the judge who proceeds over the trial is the same judge who was assigned to your case when it was filed. A trial in which there is no jury and the judge decides the case.
A jury trial is almost like a bench trial but there s a critical difference. A bench trial is often less formal than a jury trial and typically requires less time to conclude. The term applies most appropriately to any administrative hearing in relation to a summary offense to distinguish the type of trial. Learn more with your free trial today.
Bench pairs you with a team of professional bookkeepers to do your bookkeeping leaving you to run your business. A bench trial is a trial by judge as opposed to a trial by jury. A bench trial is a trial held before a judge sitting without a jury. The judge s role is limited to moderating the proceedings determining what evidence is admissible answering questions of law and instructing the jurors on what legal means to employ in their decision.
The judge does not reach the verdict instead the job of acquitting or convicting lies in the jury s hands. Unlike jury trials where a juror may learn little to nothing about a case before trial cases tried from the bench present unique opportunities to shape the judge s opinion of the case prior to trial. What are the advantages or disadvantages of a bench trial. The general provisions for a trial by bench are laid out in the federal rules of criminal procedure.
With bench trials the judge plays the role of the jury as finder of fact in addition to making conclusions of law. In a bench trial the judge makes the final decision in your case after hearing all the evidence. Act now and fill in a free case evaluation in order to get the help you deserve. Conversely in a bench trial the ultimate decision maker is the judge.
Many legal systems roman islamic use bench trials for most or all cases or for certain types of cases while a jury renders a verdict a judge in a bench trial does the same by making a finding. What is a bench trial. It s important to carefully weigh the advantages or disadvantages of a bench trial.