Legal Definitions - bench trial

Bench trial is a type of trial where the judge alone decides the facts of the case and applies the law, without a jury. The term "bench" refers to the judge who presides over the trial.

• John's case was heard in a bench trial, where the judge made the final decision.
• The defendant opted for a bench trial instead of a jury trial.

These examples illustrate how a bench trial works. In the first example, John's case was heard by a judge alone, without a jury. The judge decided the facts of the case and applied the law to make a final decision. In the second example, the defendant chose to have a bench trial instead of a jury trial, meaning that the judge alone would decide the outcome of the case.