What is Bench trial?
A '''bench trial''' is a trial with is no [[jury]], and a judge decides who wins or loses.<ref>{{cite book | last = Black | first = Henry Campbell | title = Black's Law Dictionary, 6th ed. | publisher = [[West Publishing]] | year = 1990 | location = St. Paul, MN | pages = [https://archive.org/details/blackslawdiction00henr/page/156 156] | url = https://archive.org/details/blackslawdiction00henr/page/156 | isbn = 0-314-76271-X }}</ref> Some law systems use bench trials for almost all cases ([[Civil law (legal system)|Roman]], [[Sharia|Islamic]]). Others use them for only some cases or only some kinds of cases. The rules for bench trials may be different in [[criminal law|courts that hear accused criminals]] and [[Civil law (common law)|courts that hear lawsuits]]. In jury trials, it is the judge's duty to say what is the law and the jury's duty to [[Trier of fact|find the facts]]. In a bench trial, the judge does both.<ref name=Cornell>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/bench_trial|publisher=Cornell Law|accessdate=March 27, 2022|title=Bench trial|work=Legal Information Institute}}</ref> In some bench trials, both sides already agree on the facts. For example, in [[civil disobedience]] cases that are designed to test the law, the accused people often agree with the prosecuting lawyers about what happened. They want only for the judge to decide whether it really was illegal. Bench trials are usually faster than jury trials because the court must do fewer things. For example, there is no jury selection and no need to send the jury to live separately or give them special instructions. For example, if lawyers in a jury trial disagree about whether a piece of evidence should be shown to the jury, they must call for a sidebar and talk to the judge about it privately. In a bench trial, they do not have to keep anything secret from a jury. The judge may also make the trial start and stop or decide to let the lawyers skip opening and closing statements.<ref name=ABA>{{cite web|url=https://