take the bench

English

Verb

take the bench (third-person singular simple present takes the bench, present participle taking the bench, simple past took the bench, past participle taken the bench)

1. (US) To become a judge.
2. (US) To start a session of a court of law.

Further reading

• “take the bench”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.