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Petty Sessions
Courts of petty session, established from around the 1730s, were local courts consisting of magistrates, held for each petty sessional division (usually based on the county divisions known as hundreds) in England, Wales, and Ireland. The session's work dealt with matters such as minor theft and larceny, assault, drunkenness, bastardy examinations, arbitration and deciding whether to refer a case to the quarter sessions. From 1872 the courts of petty sessions were also responsible for approving licences to sell alcohol in alehouses and public houses. They were also later established in British colonies, including Australia. They were abolished in New South Wales on 31 December 1984. Following the abolition of the courts of quarter sessions, which were also presided over by magistrates, the courts of petty sessions gradually became synonymous with "magistrates' courts", a term which had previously been used to refer to both the petty and quarter sessions. Magistrates' courts conti ...
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Magistrate
The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judicial and executive powers. In other parts of the world, such as China, a magistrate was responsible for administration over a particular geographic area. Today, in some jurisdictions, a magistrate is a judicial officer who hears cases in a lower court, and typically deals with more minor or preliminary matters. In other jurisdictions (e.g., England and Wales), magistrates are typically trained volunteers appointed to deal with criminal and civil matters in their local areas. Original meaning In ancient Rome, the word '' magistratus'' referred to one of the highest offices of state. Analogous offices in the local authorities, such as ''municipium'', were subordinate only to the legislature of which they generally were members, '' ex officio' ...
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Petty Sessional Division
A petty sessional division was, in England and Wales, the area that a magistrates' court had jurisdiction over (before the abolition of quarter sessions, specifically the petty sessions). Petty sessional divisions were gradually consolidated in the 20th century (being reorganised in 1953 under the Justices of the Peace Act 1949 A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility a ...), and were replaced by local justice areas in 2005. Petty sessional divisions were formalised under the Division of Counties Act 1828 (9 Geo. IV c.43), but they had existed informally for centuries as arrangements within the counties themselves. The areas were restated by thLocal Government (Petty Sessional Divisions etc.) Order 1973(SI 1973/1593). Former courts and tribunals in England and Wales Adm ...
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Hundred (county Division)
A hundred is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region. It was formerly used in England, Wales, some parts of the United States, Denmark, Southern Schleswig, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, Curonia, the Ukrainian state of the Cossack Hetmanate and in Cumberland County in the British Colony of New South Wales. It is still used in other places, including in Australia (in South Australia and the Northern Territory). Other terms for the hundred in English and other languages include ''wapentake'', ''herred'' (Danish and Bokmål Norwegian), ''herad'' ( Nynorsk Norwegian), ''hérað'' (Icelandic), ''härad'' or ''hundare'' (Swedish), ''Harde'' (German), ''hiird'' ( North Frisian), '' satakunta'' or ''kihlakunta'' (Finnish), ''kihelkond'' (Estonian), ''kiligunda'' (Livonian), ''cantref'' (Welsh) and ''sotnia'' (Slavic). In Ireland, a similar subdivision of counties is referred to as a barony, and a hundred is a subdivision of a ...
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Quarter Session
The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in Scotland, Ireland and in various other dominions of the British Empire. Quarter sessions generally sat in the seat of each county and county borough, and in numerous non-county boroughs (mainly, but not exclusively, ancient boroughs), which were entitled to hold their own quarter sessions''Whitaker's Almanack'' 1968, pp 465-6. (see below), although some of the smaller boroughs lost their own quarter sessions in 1951 (see below). All quarter sessions were abolished in England and Wales in 1972, when the Courts Act 1971 replaced them and the assizes with a single permanent Crown Court. In Scotland, they survived until 1975, when they were abolished and replaced by district courts and later by justice of the peace courts. The quarter sessi ...
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Local Justice Area
Local justice areas are units in England and Wales established by the Courts Act 2003, replacing and directly based on the previous petty sessional divisions. They have been in existence since 2005. Local justice areas are used to determine which magistrates' courts may hear a particular case. Specifically, cases may only be heard in courts which are in: * a place in the local justice area in which the offence is alleged to have been committed, * a place in the local justice area in which the person charged with the offence resides, * a place in the local justice area in which the witnesses, or the majority of the witnesses, reside, or * a place where other cases raising similar issues are being dealt with. The areas established were identical to the petty sessional divisions. They have since been amended by the merger of South Pembrokeshire and North Pembrokeshire to a single Pembrokeshire local justice area, and the merger of De Maldwyn and Welshpool to a single Montgomeryshi ...
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Courts Act 2003
The Courts Act 2003 (c.39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom implementing many of the recommendations in Sir Robin Auld's (a Court of Appeal judgeReview of the Criminal Courtsin England and Wales (also known as the "Auld Review"). The White Paper which preceded the Act was published by the Home Office on the 17 July 2002 and called "Justice for All". The Act has nine parts: * Maintenance of the court system * Justices of the Peace * Magistrates' courts * Court security * Inspectors of court administration * Judges * Procedure rules and practice directions * Miscellaneous * Final provisions (technical provisions) The Act deals predominantly with criminal courts' administration, though certain sections deal with civil matters (notably creating a post of "Head of Civil Justice", enabling provisions for family procedure rules, and amendments to its civil procedure equivalent). The Act also abolished magistrates' courts committees, combining the magistrates' cour ...
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Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) * Magistrate's Court of Jersey * Magistrates' court (Hong Kong) * Magistrate's courts of Israel * Magistrate's court (South Africa) * District Court (New Zealand), replaced magistrate's courts in 1980 * District Court (Ireland), the main court of summary jurisdiction in Ireland * Magistrate's court (Russia) * Magistrate's court (Sri Lanka) Australian courts * Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory * Magistrates court (Northern Territory) * Magistrates Court of Queensland * Magistrates Court of South Australia * Magistrates Court of Tasmania * Magistrates' Court of Victoria * Magistrates Court of Western Australia * Local Court of New South Wales * Federal Circuit Court of Australia (initially the Federal Magistrate's Court of Austr ...
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Magistrates' Court (England And Wales)
In England and Wales, a magistrates' court is a lower court which hears matters relating to summary offences and some triable either-way matters. Some civil law issues are also decided here, notably family proceedings. In 2015, there were roughly 330 magistrates' courts in England and Wales, though the government was considering closing up to 57 of these. The jurisdiction of magistrates' courts and rules governing them are set out in the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980. All criminal proceedings start at a magistrates' court. Summary offences are lesser crimes (for example, public order offences and most driving matters) that can be punished under the magistrates' courts maximum sentencing powers of 12 months imprisonment, and/or an unlimited fine. Indictable only offences, on the other hand, are serious crimes (e.g. rape, murder); if it is found at the initial hearing of the magistrates' court that there is a case to answer, they are committed to the Crown Court, which has ...
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Petty Sessional Division
A petty sessional division was, in England and Wales, the area that a magistrates' court had jurisdiction over (before the abolition of quarter sessions, specifically the petty sessions). Petty sessional divisions were gradually consolidated in the 20th century (being reorganised in 1953 under the Justices of the Peace Act 1949 A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility a ...), and were replaced by local justice areas in 2005. Petty sessional divisions were formalised under the Division of Counties Act 1828 (9 Geo. IV c.43), but they had existed informally for centuries as arrangements within the counties themselves. The areas were restated by thLocal Government (Petty Sessional Divisions etc.) Order 1973(SI 1973/1593). Former courts and tribunals in England and Wales Adm ...
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