Front and center in the courtroom sits the bench. This is where the Honorable Judge and his or her staff sit. The bench is an elevated stage that serves as the center focal point for the rest of the courtroom. The judge sits the highest. At the next level sits the court clerk and the bailiff.

You will enter most courtrooms from the rear. The rear half of the room contains benches or chairs and is where the public sits when they come in. As you move from the public seating toward the front of the courtroom, you will see a railing, often with a swinging door. This railing divides the public seating area from the “well of the court.”

Bench refers to the seat where the judge sits in the courtroom, and the term is used to refer to the judge.