be judge and jury

verb

As an authority, to have the power to make a decision affecting someone or an organisation by oneself.

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Meanings

verbbe judge and jury (third-person singular simple present is judge and jury, present participle being judge and jury, simple past was judge and jury, past participle been judge and jury)

present singular third person is judge and jury · participle present being judge and jury · past was judge and jury · participle past been judge and jury

  1. As an authority, to have the power to make a decision affecting someone or an organisation by oneself.

    The fear from operators that sit outside GBR [Great British Railways], chiefly freight and open access operators, is that GBR will be judge and jury in any future system and can simply decide to do what it wants.

    2026 March 18, Philip Haigh, “Early thoughts on track access and charges”, in RAIL, number 1057, page 22

Origin

In most jurisdictions that practice jury trials, the defendant's guilt is determined by jury, while his or her sentence is determined by the trial judge. An authority that can exercise the powers of a jury and judge therefore lacks a balance of power.

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Cite this entry
APA

be judge and jury. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20judge%20and%20jury

MLA

“be judge and jury.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20judge%20and%20jury. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “be judge and jury,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/be%20judge%20and%20jury.

Source: be judge and jury on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.