Bench (law)

The phrase "bench and bar" denotes all judges and lawyers collectively.

[2] The term "full bench" is used when all the judges of a certain court sit together to hear a case, as in the phrase "before the full bench", which is also referred to as en banc.

[3] The historical roots of the term come from judges formerly having sat on long seats or benches (freestanding or against a wall) when presiding over a court.

[2] The bench is usually an elevated desk area that allows a judge to view, and to be seen by, the entire courtroom.

The bench was a typical feature of the courts of the Order of St. John in Malta, such as at the Castellania, where judges and the nominated College of Advocates sat for court cases and review laws.

A judge's bench in a courtroom in Beechworth, Victoria , Australia. The term "bench" is also used as a metonym to mean all the judges of a certain court or members of a judiciary.
The Supreme Court of Japan Grand Bench seats 15 justices.