What a judge does A judge is an elected or appointed official who conducts court proceedings.

Judges must be impartial and strive to properly interpret the meaning, significance, and implications of the law. Judges must also recognize that justice means more than just interpreting the law they must also show compassion and understanding for the people on both sides of the case. When a case first comes to the court, the judge must decide whether there is enough evidence to support a reasonable belief that a crime has occurred and also that the person in question committed that crime. If the defendant cannot afford to hire a lawyer, the judge must appoint a lawyer to them. The judge also sets the bail. Once the defendant has an attorney and his or her bail amount has been set, he or she enters a plea of guilty or not guilty. The judge must ensure that the plea has been made voluntarily. The role of a judge during a hearing depends on whether or not a jury is present. In most serious criminal cases, a jury is present and thus it is the trier of fact, meaning that the jury looks at the evidence presented to the court and determines what actually happened and whether or not the defendant is guilty. The judge is the trier of law, meaning he or she ensures that everything happening in the courtroom follows the rules set down by the law. If a jury is not present in a court case, the judge becomes both the trier of fact and the trier of law. This is typical for civil cases, but in criminal cases it happens only if both the state and the defendant agree in writing to not have a jury trial, so minor criminal cases are the most likely to have bench trials. Judges also determine the sentence in criminal cases and the fine amount in civil cases. Judges have different responsibilities in juvenile cases, because juveniles cannot be charged with crimes due to their diminished responsibility. Because the court is not a criminal court, the proceedings are not adversarial and therefore the juvenile does not get a jury trial. Instead, the judge listens to the evidence and arguments on both sides of the case and decides what would be best for the juvenile, the community, and the legal system. Judges are also responsible for signing warrants for arrests and searches. In common-law legal systems such as the one used in the United States, judges have the power to punish misconduct occurring within a courtroom, to punish violations of court orders, and to enforce an order to make a person refrain from doing something. Judges in this type of system can declare a law unconstitutional, as long as the reason is applicable to the case at hand. In addition, judges are able to go against precedent, which provides some flexibility to interpretation of the law.

Judges Speech
Child labour is the exploitation of children who worked in factories, mines and farms.

i. The first general laws against child labor, the Factory Acts (1833), were passed in England: Children younger than nine were not allowed to work, children were not permitted to work at night, and the execution of the law.

ii. There were people in this time period that strongly advocated the use or the
abolishment of child labour, or at least the improvement of conditions. Factory owners loved child labour, and they supported their reasoning with ideas that it was good for everything from the economy to the building of the children's characters. Parents of the children who worked were almost forced to at least approve of it because they needed the income. There were, however, some important figures that fought for the regulation, improvement, and/or abolishment of child labour. The first step to improving conditions was in 1833 with the Factory Act passed by Parliament. This limited the amount of hours children of certain ages could work. Specifically, children 9 to 13 years of age were only allowed to work 8 hours a day. Those 14 to 18 years of age could not work more than 12 hours a day. Children under 9 were not allowed to work at all. Also, the children were to attend school for no less than two hours during the day. Perhaps the most important part of this act was the part that said the government would appoint officials to make sure the act was carried out and complied with. Later, in the early 20th century, activists went even further to protect children's rights in labour. Among these figures was Jane Addams, founder of the Hull House. Activists in the U.S. made the government set up the Children's Bureau in 1912. This made it the U.S. government's responsibility to monitor child labour.