sit in judgment on (someone)
1. Literally, to sit as a juror in order to decide if someone is guilty of something or not. The defendant's notoriety made it difficult to find anyone who could sit in judgment on him without bias.
2. By extension, to make a judgment about someone for something they have done. To anyone who is sitting in judgment on the family for their actions, I urge you to think carefully about what you might have done in a similar situation.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
sit in judgment (up)on someone or something
to make a judgment about someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) I don't want to sit in judgment upon you or anyone else, but I do have some suggestions. There is no need to sit in judgment on the proposal at this time.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
sit in judgment on someone
or sit in judgment over someone
If someone sits in judgment on or over another person, they criticize their behaviour in a way that shows they think they are morally better than them. Note: `Judgment' is often spelled `judgement' in British English. She's no angel herself — she has no right to sit in judgement over other people. I think people should work hard to keep a marriage alive. I don't want to sit in judgment on other people, but if there's anything that's good you should try to hold on to it. Note: You use this expression to show disapproval.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012