Complex sentence: "Hanging judge" is a colloquial term for a judge who has gained notoriety for handing down punishment by sentencing convicted criminals to death by hanging, or imposing unusually harsh sentences, in jurisdictions where the death penalty has been abolished.
Split into simpler sentences: Hanging judge is an unofficial term for a judge who has gained notoriety for handing down punishment by sentencing convicted criminals to death by hanging. More broadly, the term is applied to judges who have gained a reputation for imposing unusually harsh sentences, even in jurisdictions where the death penalty has been abolished.