Wiretapping of the Democratic Party's headquarters. E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy, who led the Watergate break-in team, were stationed in a Watergate Hotel room while the burglary was underway. A lookout was posted across the street at the Howard Johnson Hotel.
The judge, however, remains above the fray, providing an independent and impartial assessment of the facts and how the law applies to those facts. Many criminal cases - and almost all civil ones - are heard by a judge sitting without a jury. The judge is the trier of fact, deciding whether the evidence is credible and which witnesses are telling the truth.
Duties of the Justice of the Peace. Justice of the Peace courts have original jurisdiction in Class C offenses in their designated precinct. These courts also have jurisdiction of minor civil matters. A Justice of the Peace may issue search or arrest warrants, and may serve as the coroner in counties where there is no provision for a medical examiner. The Justices are elected to a four year term of office by voters residing in their designated precinct.