In a bench trial, who decides the issues of fact and law?

• A. The jury.
• B. The magistrate.
• C. The judge.
• D. The jury and judge jointly.

Answer: (C)

In a bench trial there is no jury, so the judge takes on both roles: determining the facts based on the evidence and deciding the applicable law to those facts. The judge weighs eyewitness testimony, credibility, and other evidence, then applies the relevant rules and statutes to reach a judgment. This is different from a jury trial, where jurors decide the factual questions and the judge handles the legal issues and instructs the jury. A magistrate is not the correct responder in a typical civil bench trial, and there is no joint jury-and-judge decision in a bench trial, since there is no jury.