Difference Between

Justice vs Judge

In every country there is a judicial system in place, to not only work as a guardian of the rights and freedom of the public, but also as a safeguard of their safety and security. Anyone who feels that his rights or freedom are being compromised or damaged by anyone can approach a court of law in the country to get redressal for his grievances. The words judge and justice are frequently used to refer to officials that work as custodians of the principles of righteousness, and upholding of what is considered fair and just by the society, and the written constitution of the country. People think of judge and justice as being synonyms, and often use them interchangeably, which is wrong as there are differences between these words that will be highlighted in this article.

It is a practice to refer to the judges of a supreme court as justices, whereas judges in lower courts are simply called judges. However, there is no hard and fast rule regarding this convention and judges in some lower courts are also called justices. There is no doubt that both judges and justices deliver justice. The only difference pertains to the level at which justice is being administered. However, the roles and responsibilities being same, there is a difference in the day to day duties of a judge from a justice of a Supreme Court too.

Judges are persons who have passed law degree, and have experience as lawyers. Upon elevation as a judge, which is often through appointments, a person get powers to pass on verdicts on various matters related to law. Judges preside over a jury that is constituted to hear legal proceedings and deliberate to finally arrive at a decision that is binding upon the warring parties. Judges are also qualified to pass on prison sentences. Justices on the other hand, are the part of the same judiciary that consists of judges, lawyers, clerks and other legal personnel. It is easier to think of justices as being a rung higher in the ladder of judicial positions or ranks. Another difference from judges lies in the fact that justices are often elected rather than being appointed or nominated.

Though people use both words freely for people having studied law and having the qualifications to be able to pass verdict on different matters pertaining to law, justice is a word that is older of the two, and was in vogue even as far back as 1200 AD. The word judge appeared almost 100 years later, around 1300 AD.