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Typically judges decide questions of law and juries decide questions of fact.

Black’s Law Dictionary defines the two phrases as follows:

question of law – An issue to be decided by the judge, concerning the application or interpretation of the law.

question of fact – A disputed issue to be resolved by the jury in a jury trial or by the judge in a bench trial.

For instance, whether a plaintiff’s claim is barred by the statute of limitations would be a question of law. On the other hand, juries are left to decide questions of fact, i.e., a defendant’s guilt or innocence, a party’s liability for negligence , etc.

In this video I discuss the meaning of questions of fact and questions of law and why it’s important for litigants to know the difference.