judge 1 /'jəj/ vb judged, judg·ing [Old French jugier, from Latin judicare, from judic- judex judge, from jus right, law + dicere to decide, say]
vt
1: to hear and decide (as a litigated question) in a court of justice
judge a case
2: to pronounce after inquiry and deliberation
he was judged incompetent
vi: to make a determination: decide
judge between two accounts
judge 2 n: a public official vested with the authority to hear, determine, and preside over legal matters brought in court; also: one (as a justice of the peace) who performs one or more functions of such an official
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.