Who gives the verdict?

Answer 1

Technically, the jury renders the verdict in a jury trial, then the judge signs the written judgment based on the verdict. If the case is tried without a jury (a bench trial) the judge as the finder of fact renders the verdict and signs the appropriate written judgment.

Additional: If the questioner is asking who it is that actually delivers (i.e.: first speaks) the verdict out loud; as stated above, in a bench trial the judge will deliver it, but in jury trials it can vary depending on the practice of the court and jurisdiction in which it is located. In some courts the jury foreperson will deliver the verdict, while in others the foreperson surrenders the verdict sheet to the Bailiff who delivers it to the judge who reads it and then hands it to the Court Clerk to actually be read aloud into the record .

Answer 2

In a jury trial, the jury renders the verdict. In a non-jury trial it is the judge who renders it.

where does the magistrate come into all of this? Can they render the virdict alone without a judge?

Answer 3

It depends on the legal system. In non-jury systems verdicts are given by a judge or multiple judges (it depends on the claim of the case whether there is one or there are more judges). Appealed cases are often verdicted by multiple judges.

In Jury systems the jury is often allowed to give the verdict guilty or not guilty, but it still remains the judge who decides on the punishment.