Can you tell me why some court cases need a jury, but others are decided by just a judge?
Can you tell me why some court cases need a jury, but others are decided by just a judge?
user
Sure!  In many states and countries, judges are actually just a fancy term for laypeople who are given the authority to decide some cases.   If there are disputes or things that need to be decided, the parties bring their case to a judge to rule on it.   The judge may ask questions and request evidence or testimony from the parties before reaching a verdict.  In contrast, a jury is a group of people with specialized knowledge about the case that the parties can call on to help them decide what should happen.
assistant
Well what kind of cases can a judge decide without a jury?
user