>> On the other hand, it's horrific to me that my fate can be decided by people who have no formal education in law I think you're assuming quite a bit on the

>> On the other hand, it's horrific to me that my fate can be decided by people who have no formal education in law I think you're assuming quite a bit on the education, knowledge, and experience of the law on the part of the judge. There is no guarantee that the judge you get knows anything about the law pertaining to your case. >> but their decisions have to be based in the law and either you broke a law or you haven't And yet, judges are reversed all the time on appeal based on the idea that the judge got the law wrong. Plus I'm fairly certain the judge has a great deal more power in the courtroom than the jury. A judge can certainly put you in jail for a period of time just because they feel like it.