Definition of Trier of Fact in Law
In a court case, judges are professional judges of fact. In court proceedings, the judge makes both factual findings and legal decisions. [4] The findings of a trial judge are generally not disturbed by a court of appeal. [5] The investigator differs depending on the type of procedure. In a jury trial, it is the jury; In a trial without a jury, the judge is both the investigator and the Trier of law. In administrative proceedings, the investigator may be a hearing officer or a hearing body. [3] A Trier of Facts or fact-finding investigator is a person or group who determines what facts are available in a court case (usually a trial) and to what extent they are relevant to deciding its outcome. [1] Determining a fact means deciding on the basis of the evidence presented whether something existed or whether an event occurred. [2] “Trier of facts. Merriam-Webster.com Legal Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/legal/trier%20of%20fact. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
In a jury trial, the jury determines the facts; The judge of the law. In a jury trial, a jury is the Trier of facts. The jury ascertains the facts and applies them to the appropriate law or to the law it has ordered the judge to render its verdict. Thus, in a jury trial, factual conclusions are made by the jury, while the judge makes legal decisions about the evidence heard by the jury and the legal framework that governs the case. The jury is obliged to strictly abide by the law prescribed by the judge, but is in no way obliged to do so. In some cases, this leads to the annulment of the jury, when the jury`s verdict deviates from what the law provides. In a trial at first instance, the judge is both the judge of fact and of law. In the United States, an administrative judge (ALJ) directs court proceedings (and makes court decisions) and decides on claims or disputes (in other words, proceedings controlled by ALJ are judicial proceedings) that affect administrative law, but ALJ is not part of an independent judicial system.