Job Description of a Judge

by Clayton Browne, studioD Google

A judge is the chief judicial officer of a court, and judges are appointed or elected to preside over a specific court. Most federal and state judges are required to be lawyers, but some local courts have only residency requirements to be employed as a judge. Dozens of different types of judges preside over both civil and criminal courts at all levels, ranging from municipal court judges to state judges to U.S. Supreme Court judges.

State Trial Court Judge

State criminal court judges are typically called trial judges. Some judges preside over a variety of criminal trials, others work in courts that specialize in trying drug, tax or immigration cases. As well as presiding over the actual trial, trial court judges spend a good bit of time deciding on pretrial motions, which can be time-consuming as the process often entails extensive legal research.

Municipal Judge or County Judge

Sometimes also called district judges or magistrates, municipal judges and county judges preside over local courts. Local judges are often elected officials, and these judges typically specialize in a specific area, such as family law, traffic violations, drug-related misdemeanors or small-claims cases. Local judgeships are often considered an ideal "entry-level" positions for those aspiring to more senior judicial or political positions.

Civil Court Judge

Civil court judges preside over civil trials in which a plaintiff is suing a defendant for damages.Typical civil cases include businesses or individuals suing each other over breach of contract, issues relating to property rights and injuries and wrongful death. In the final phase of the trial, civil court judges often work with financial professionals such as accountants and actuaries to determine a fair value for damages and suffering.

Apellate Judge

Appellate judges exist on both the state and federal levels. As their name suggests, appellate judges hear appeals of lower-court verdicts. A few important legal cases work their way to the very top of the appellate court system -- the U.S. Supreme Court. The job of an appellate judge is not to determine whether the decision of a lower-court judge or jury is correct or not, but to carefully review the evidence and arguments presented by both sides to ensure the trial was conducted fairly and that no significant legal error occurred during the trial. Appellate judges often work in a panel of three or more judges.

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