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'''Bench trial''', also known as a [[court]] [[trial]], is a trial without a [[jury]] in which a [[judge]] decides the facts. [[Category:Legal Terms]]
'''Bench trial''', also known as a [[court]] [[trial]], is a trial without a [[jury]] in which a [[judge]] decides the facts.
In a criminal trial a defendant must be allowed a jury trial if requested. However, a defendant may waive a jury trial right but such waiver must be made openly.<ref>This was used in several 2016 trials involving [[Baltimore]] police officers charged with the murder of a suspect in custody, due to the racial tensions involved none of the officers believed that a fair trial was possible and all requested bench trials; all the officers were subsequently acquitted.</ref>
[[Category:Legal Terms]]