Judge vs. Justice vs. Jury vs. Juror: Differences Explained

JUDGE

A judge is a government official in a court of law with legal authority to decide how the law of the country should be applied to a lawsuit to pass a definitive judgement.

The roles and responsibilities of judges differ significantly from country to country. Even in a country, different states empower their judges differently.

Example

i) The Judge of the High Court of Cuttack has upheld the dismissal of a state govt officer accused of demanding dowry.

ii) The Supreme Court Judge sentenced Madras High Court Judge Shri Goutam to three months jail for committing contempt of the apex court.

iii) A Magistrate, exercising jurisdiction in respect of a charge on which he has power to sentence to fine or imprisonment, is also a Judge.

iv) A Collector of a district, exercising his jurisdiction in a suit under the appropriate Act, is also a Judge.

JUSTICE

While the meanings of the terms "judge" and "justice" are almost same with similar duties and responsibilities and powers, yet there is a small difference.

A judge is the presiding officer of a lower court.

A justice is the presiding officer of a higher court.

A judge is appointed in the local courts viz. city civil court, district court, etc. Their jurisdiction is limited by the territorial limits of the respective locality.

A justice is generally appointed in the High Courts of states and in the Supreme Court of a country.

JURY

A jury is a group of people who have been chosen to participate in a lawsuit brought to trial, attend the trial proceedings in a court of law and declare a verdict on matters of fact whether the person accused is guilty or not.

Petit Jury (Trial Jury): A petit jury is comprised of 6 to 12 people. Trials are conducted publicly. Jury deliberations are carried out in a private chamber. Jury renders its verdict at the end of the case.

Grand Jury: A petit jury is generally comprised of 16 to 23 people. The proceedings are conducted privately. The jurors may have to serve up to 18-24 months to hear and decide the verdict.

JUROR

A person who is a part of the jury is called a juror.

In each state, the eligibility criteria to qualify as a juror for a case differs. For a case, potential jurors are selected randomly from a cross-section of the society through the process of jury selection.

The names and addresses of potential jurors are compiled from lists of registered voters, licensed owners of motor vehicles, taxpayers, persons receiving unemployment benefits, and volunteers.