"Hanging judge" is a colloquial phrase for a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility ...

who has gained notoriety for handing down punishment by sentencing convicted persons to death by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...

, or otherwise imposing unusually harsh sentences. Hanging judges are officers of the court with mandates, as opposed to extralegal lynch law.

History

17th century

George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving ...

Salathiel Lovell Sir Salathiel Lovell (1631/2–1713) was an English judge, Recorder of London, an ancient and bencher of Gray's Inn, and a Baron of the Exchequer. Origins and education Lovell was the son of Benjamin Lovell, rector of Lapworth, Warwickshire, a ...

19th century

Matthew Baillie Begbie Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (9 May 1819 – 11 June 1894) was a British lawyer, politician, and judge. In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after Bri ...

, Vancouver and Victoria judge *

Isaac Charles Parker Isaac Charles Parker (October 15, 1838 – November 17, 1896), also known as “Hanging Judge” Parker, was an American politician and jurist. He served as a United States representative from Missouri and was appointed as the first United State ...

, U.S. district judge

20th century

* Nikolai Krylenko, Bolshevik revolutionary, prosecutor, and Minister of Justice of the USSR * Roland Freisler, president (presiding judge) of the Nazi ''Volksgerichtshof'' (d. 3 February 1945) * Vasiliy Ulrikh, Soviet jurist, chief presiding judge at the Moscow Show Trials during the

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secret ...

* Sadegh Khalkhali, Shia cleric of the Islamic Republic of Iran * Manuel Pamaran, presiding justice of the

Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public office ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

from 1978 to 1986 * Maximiano Asuncion, judge of Quezon City RTC and founder of the Guillotine Club * Choor Singh, Singaporean judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore * Roman Kryże, Polish lawyer, military judge adjudicating in political trials, an officer of the Stalinist repression apparatus.

Cultural references

* A character in the

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

song " Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" (album: ''

Blood on the Tracks ''Blood on the Tracks'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 20, 1975, by Columbia Records. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia Records after a two-album stint with Asylum Records. Dy ...

'') * Justice Wargrave in

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

's novel ''

And Then There Were None ''And Then There Were None'' is a mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, described by her as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 November 1939, as ...

'' * '' The Hanging Judge'', a 1918 film directed by Henry Edwards * A track on the 1991

Armored Saint Armored Saint is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1982. Since 1990, the band has consisted of John Bush on lead vocals, Joey Vera on bass, Jeff Duncan on rhythm guitar and the Sandoval brothers (Gonzo and Ph ...

album ''

Symbol of Salvation ''Symbol of Salvation'' is the fourth album by American heavy metal band Armored Saint, released in 1991 on Metal Blade Records. It was their first release with guitarist Jeff Duncan and their last album before going on an extended hiatus that w ...

'' * Justice Sir Francis Brittain in Bruce Hamilton's 1949 novel ''Hanging Judge''; the novel was adapted for the stage by

Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor, known for his commanding, stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Amo ...

in 1952, and

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

played Justice Brittain in the BBC Radio adaptation of the play in 1953. * The title of jazz and cultural critic Stanley Crouch's 1990 essay collection ''Notes of a Hanging Judge''

References

Capital punishment Informal legal terminology {{law-term-stub