What is the official name of a Judge's hammer, and what does he pound it on?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle and often struck against a sound block to enhance its sounding qualities. It is used by presiding officers—notably American judges, chairmen, and auctioneers—to call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations. It is customarily struck to indicate the opening and closing of proceedings, giving rise to the phrase "gavel-to-gavel" to describe the entirety of a meeting or session. Robert's Rules of Order provides guidelines on the proper use of the gavel in deliberative assemblies.

By metonymy, the gavel represents the entire judiciary system, especially of judgeship; to "bring down the gavel" means to enforce or compel with the power of a court. It also represents the authority of presiding officers; thus the expression "passing the gavel" signifies an orderly succession from one chair to another.

The origin of the gavel's use, indeed of the word itself, is uncertain; in Middle English it refers to rent or tribute paid to a lord. It is possible that the use of a hammer in legislative or judiciary proceedings may represent Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor, as the use of lawspeakers at Thing (assembly) is a practice that originated in heathen Scandinavia. Masonic organizations used the maul as a symbol as early as the 18th century, through which the hammer may have come to represent meetings and order. Another theory posits that the word is related to the gable of a roof, whose shape may resemble a mallet or gavel.

The image of the gavel is often used erroneously by advertising agencies worldwide to signify legal proceedings in many different jurisdictions, such as England & Wales, where in fact the gavel is never used.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Outstanding. The effort and detail in that answer was above and beyond the call! Thank you very much.

Answer 2

gavel

Answer 3

Gavel, and he pounds it on the bench, and tottenham is mediocre. Nottingham!

Answer 4

Gavel, and he pounds it on a wooden plate.

Answer 5

gavel and pedestal

Answer 6

Judge's gavel and the 'sound block'
the sound block is usually round but I've seen them triangular, square, octagonal, etc.

Answer 7

The hammer is called a "Gavel" the thing he pounds it on is called a "Sounding Block" hence "Gavel and Block".

When they use the expression "Docket Sounding" that means the docket or agenda of the court is opened by sounding and then set and the judge pounds the sounding block to signal the closure of the docket or "Cloisturing".

The gavel and sounding block have been used in English courts and Parliament, and were a tradition adopted by American colonists early on. Each legislature has a set for each chamber, auctioneers use them, and courts have used them as well.

Hope that answers your question.

Answer 8

The Hammer he pounds with is a gavel
What he pounds it on is a sound-block.