ALJ

An administrative law judge (ALJ) in the United States is a judge and trier of fact who both presides over trials and adjudicates claims or disputes involving administrative law—that is, involving administrative units of the executive branch of government. ALJs can administer oaths, take testimony, rule on questions of evidence, and make factual and legal determinations. The term refers only to a quasi-judicial official who decides claims or disputes under the formal provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act governing adjudication, and "it is not a generic phrase that can be used to describe any agency adjudicator".