A '''lay judge''', sometimes called a lay [[assessor (law)|assessor]], is a person assisting a [[judge]] in a trial and as such are sometimes called lay [[assessor (law)|assessor]]s. Lay judges are used in some [[civil law (legal system)|civil law]] jurisdictions. [[Japan]] began implementing a new lay judge system in 2009.<ref>[[Lay judges in Japan]], retrieved on June 10, 2010.</ref> Lay judges are appointed volunteers and often require some legal instruction. However, they are not permanent officers,. as theyThey tendattend proceedings about once a month, and often receive only nominal or "costs covered" pay. Lay judges are usually used when the country does not have [[jury|juries]]. Lay judges may be randomly selected for a single trial (likeas jurors are), or politically appointed. In the latter case, they may usually not be rejected by the prosecution, the defense, or the permanent judges. Lay judges are similar to [[magistrates of England and Wales]], but magistrates sit about twice moreas often.
