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Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary

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bench
The desk and seat (usually a chair rather than an actual bench) where a judge sits in the courtroom. Sometimes the word "bench" is used in place of the word "judge" -- for example, a party to a lawsuit might ask for a bench trial, meaning a trial by a judge without a jury. And lawyers in a trial sometimes "approach the bench," meaning they step up to speak to the judge.
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