A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law jurisdictions: the jurisdiction of England and Wales within the United Kingdom; Australia, including its states and territories; Canada, including its provinces and territories; India, including its states and territories; Pakistan, its provinces, and Azad Kashmir; the British possession of Gibraltar; Kenya; Sri Lanka; South Africa in rural provinces and Hong Kong. In Australia, the most senior judge after a chief justice in superior state courts is referred to as the "senior puisne judge". Use is rare outside of, usually internal, court (judicial) procedural decisions as to which will sit or has sat in hearings or appeals. The term is dated in detailed, academic case law analyses and, to varying degree direct applicability in higher courts. The term excludes the court's chief /; any seniormost judges, often specialists or a managerial head, sitting ex officio (by virtue of their office) as such in the court for which they have duties below; and any technically junior judges who may have been called to serve in a higher court, whom law reports and transcripts customarily specify as "sitting in" a judicial panel of a higher court or "sitting as" a judge of that court. Etymology Puisne is a homophone of puny as well as that word's root, meaning weak or inferior in size. The spoken form holds a negative connotation, and the written avoided in all but the most technical of documents. It has been of scarce use outside of the judiciary themselves (who have preferred the bowdlerised pronunciation since the middle of the 20th century). By jurisdiction Bermuda In Bermuda, the Supreme Court comprises the Chief Justice and a number of puisne judges. As of January 2020, there are three puisne judges, with a vacancy for a fourth. New puisne judges are appointed by the Governor following a consultation with the Chief Justice. Canada In Canada judges other than the chief justice of a court are referred to as puisne judges. Fiji Gibraltar In Gibraltar, puisne judges, of which there must be at least one, are responsible for family law proceedings in the Supreme Court. Jamaica In Jamaica, the Supreme Court comprises the Chief Justice, and