In law, ''dedimus potestatem'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "we have given the power") is a

writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...

whereby commission is given to one or more private persons for the expedition of some act normally performed by a judge. It is also called delegatio. It is granted most commonly upon the suggestion that a party, who is to do something before a judge or in a court, is too weak to travel. The grant has various uses, such as to take a personal answer to a bill in chancery, to examine witnesses, levy a fine, etc.

References

* * Writs Legal documents with Latin names {{English-law-stub