lay judge
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lay judge
An honorary judge (layperson) who takes part in court proceedings in Germany and other countries and decides on guilt and punishment together with professional judges.
Als Schöffe am Amtsgericht hatte er eine große Verantwortung.
As a lay judge at the local court, he had a great responsibility.
'Der Schöffe' (the lay judge) is a noun of the N-declension. This means that it takes the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular. This is a common mistake among learners.
Das Gericht befragte den Schöffen nach seiner Meinung.
The court asked the lay judge for his opinion.
A Schöffe (lay judge) is not a professional judge, but a citizen who performs an honorary public role. This system of lay participation is an important part of the German justice system.
Viele Bürger wissen nicht, dass sie zum Schöffen berufen werden können.
Many citizens do not know that they can be appointed as lay judges.
Certain verbs are often used in connection with this office. Typical phrases are 'zum Schöffen berufen werden' (to be appointed as a lay judge), 'als Schöffe tätig sein' (to serve as a lay judge), or 'als Schöffe am Gericht mitwirken' (to participate in court as a lay judge).
Sie wurde für die nächste Amtsperiode zur Schöffin berufen.
She was appointed as a lay judge for the next term of office.
judge
'der Richter' and 'der Schöffe' both belong to a court hearing and take part in decisions about guilt and punishment. A judge is a professional judge and works at a court as a profession. A lay judge is not a professional judge, but an honorary person without a legal profession who helps decide in certain proceedings. The words are easy to confuse because a lay judge is also a kind of judge. If you mean the profession at court in general, you say 'Richter'. If you mean the honorary role, 'Schöffe' is more precise.
Als Schöffe sitzt Herr Kaya an einigen Tagen im Jahr mit im Gerichtssaal.
As a lay judge, Mr. Kaya sits in the courtroom on a few days each year.
Die Richterin fragt den Zeugen noch einmal nach dem genauen Ablauf.
The judge asks the witness once more about the exact sequence of events.