JUDGE, a legal officer. In ordinary language, a civil officer invested with power to hear and determine causes. civil or criminal, and to administer justice in courts held for that purpose; or a person authorized or empowered in any 1,vay to decide a dispute or quarrel.
Lazo.—The National and State sys tems of judicature in the United States comprise in their list of officers judges of various degrees of dignity and of widely variant functions. In most of the States the most numerous class are the presiding officers of courts of oyer and terminer, criminal courts, courts of cor rection, etc., the names given similar tribunals in the different commonwealths varying. They have in most instances both criminal and (tc a certain extent) civil jurisdiction, but in other cases are restricted entirely to one or the other function. Of a higher dignity than these are the circuit judges, who in some com monwealths have large supervisory and reviewing powers, while the whole sys tem is presided over by the judges of the supreme State courts. The United St,ates judges range in dignity from dis trict to supreme court officials. Judges are recipients of office in divers ways— some being elected by the people, others by the Legislature; and yet others are appointed by the President or by gover nors of the States.
Jewish were certain remarkable individuals raised up in Israel after the death of Joshua and prior to the establishment of the Jewish monarchy. At that time there was little unity among the tribes, each of which, ,ike a Scottish Highland clan, looked up to its own individual chief, and not often to any higher human authority. All acted in the Jewish theocracy as vice gerents of Jehovah. The series of events, oftener than once repeated, was first, that the people were seduced into idolatry; next, that as a punishment for this, they were conquered, and placed un der the yoke of a foreign oppressor; then a judge arose who under God set them free, and the land had rest normally for 40 years. The Hebrew name Shophetim sometimes means princes as well as judges. The functions of the judge in some respects resembled those of a Roman dictator, and in others those of a i'vIohammedan Mandi.