Although these words are often used interchangeably, they are not synonyms. A judge is an official authorized to hear and determine cases in a court of law. A jurist is someone acquainted with the law and versed in it: a lawyer, for instance, or a person who writes on the subject of law. A judge is a jurist, but a jurist may or may not be a judge.
Dictionary of problem words and expressions. Harry Shaw. 1975.