Bench

Bench, the high seat of the court-room or chamber where judges sit to administer the laws, or the platform on which the chairs for the judges are placed. The court of King's or Queen's Bench (q.v.) was originally so called because in it the sovereign sat in person when he administered justice. The court of Common Pleas was also called Common Bench. The term bench is also applied in America as in Britain to the judges themselves as a class; thus, we speak of the bench and bar. It has likewise, popularly and conventionally, an ecclesiastical application, the bishops of the Church of England being, as a body, sometimes designated by it; hence the expression, 'Bench of Bishops.' So also in the Episcopal and Methodist-Episcopal churches in the United States. 'Benchers' is the time-honoured name of the governing bodies of the four Inns of Court (q.v.). See also BANC.