S15: Meet the Judges

In the U.S. judicial system, judges are elected or appointed officials tasked with presiding over trials and maintaining order. They also review legality issues per the evidence submitted, provide instructions to juries prior to their deliberations, and in the case of bench trials, judges must decide the facts of the case and make a ruling. Additionally, judges are also responsible for sentencing convicted criminal defendants. Notoriously shrouded in mystery, the Judicial Branch of the government is the least understood by members of the general public and is the only one where deliberations are carried out in secret and never made available to the public. While Federal courts make decisions relating to national issues such as immigration and citizenship and matters between citizens of different states, each state has its own judiciary resolving issues arising between and among its residents.

Purpose: Hear stories from the bench and learn more about the judicial system

Facilitator: Mike Fisher, Terrence O'Donnell, Frank Lucchino