Judges administer justice and decide court cases. Those dealing with civil cases might be arbitrators who use their authority or rely on laws, precedents or a sense of equity to induce settlements. Criminal proceedings are often inquisitorial; judge and prosecutor can be the same person. Judges might be appointed, elected, drawn at random, chosen for their moral standing, learning, social status, or even old age! In many cultures, the ruler himself is a judge; medieval noblemen had judicial powers.