What is the role of a judge in a trial?
A judge is the presiding official in any civil or criminal trial. In that sense if a jury is also being impaneled for that case then the role of a judge becomes somewhat limited. The role of the judge in a jury trial is to be the decision maker as to legal issues. The jury then becomes the decision maker as to factual issues. During the course of a trial there may be objections made to the admission of certain bits of evidence by one party or the other. The judge is called upon to rule on those objections and to decide whether or not the evidence is either admitted or not admitted. If the evidence is admitted, then that simply means that it may be considered by the judge and jury in the decision making process. If it is not admitted, then that evidence is not to be considered. If the case is being decided without a jury, then the judge becomes not only the decision maker as to the law but also as the decision maker as to the facts in which event the judge then makes the final decision
