# judge, jury and executioner

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/judge-jury-and-executioner
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Someone with the roles of judge, jury and executioner; someone with full power to judge and punish others unilaterally.

## Examples

- You cannot act as judge, jury and executioner in this argument.
- The manager acted as judge, jury and executioner when he fired the employee without hearing his side of the story.
- By unilaterally deciding the fate of his subordinates without any oversight, the director effectively became the judge, jury and executioner of the department.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.