Court of quarter sessionsLocal court Court of Quarter SessionsMiddlesex Sessions House in 1810Established1388Dissolved1972JurisdictionEngland and WalesAppeals toCourt of Appeal of England and WalesAppeals fromMagistrates' Court The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535.
Oyer and terminerIn English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French oyer et terminer, which literally means 'to hear and to determine') was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the commission was also known by the Law Latin name audiendo et terminando, and the Old English-derived term sac and soc.
Justice of the peaceJudicial officerA justice of the peace in Taos County, New Mexico, United States, hears a case (1941).A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower court, elected or appointed by means of a commission (letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the same meaning.
Magistrates' court (England and Wales)In England and Wales, a magistrates' court (Welsh: llys ynadon) 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; while family proceedings used to be dealt with in Magistrates' Courts, they are now dealt with in the Family Court (where Magistrates still sit). In 2010 there were 320 magistrates' courts in England and Wales; by 2020, a decade later, 164 of those had closed.
Courts Act 1971The Courts Act 1971 (c. 23) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the purpose of which was to reform and modernise the courts system of England and Wales, as well as effectively separating the business of the criminal and civil courts. It established the Crown Court, introduced the posts of circuit judge and recorder, and abolished various local courts across the country.
Civil law (common law)Civil law is a major "branch of the law", in common law legal systems including those in England and Wales and in the United States, where it stands in contrast to criminal law. Private law, which relates to civil wrongs and quasi-contracts, is part of civil law, as is contract law and law of property (excluding property-related crimes, such as theft or vandalism). AnalysisCivil law may, like criminal law, be divided into substantive law and procedural law.
CornwallCeremonial county in EnglandCeremonial county in EnglandCornwall (; Cornish: Kernow or ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, Devon to the east, and the English Channel to the south. The largest urban area is the Redruth and Camborne conurbation.
English criminal lawEnglish criminal law concerns offences, their prevention and the consequences, in England and Wales. Criminal conduct is considered to be a wrong against the whole of a community, rather than just the private individuals affected. The state, in addition to certain international organisations, has responsibility for crime prevention, for bringing the culprits to justice, and for dealing with convicted offenders.
Crown CourtThe Crown Court is the criminal court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and Wales. The Crown Court sits in around 92 locations in England and Wales, divided into Circuits. When sitting in the City of London, it is known as the Central Criminal Court.
Old FrenchOld French (franceis, françois, romanz; French: ancien français [ɑ̃sjɛ̃ fʁɑ̃sɛ]) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th and mid-14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a group of Romance dialects, mutually intelligible yet diverse.Capital punishmentLegal killing of a person as punishmentExecution of Louis XVICapital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in such a manner is called a death sentence, and the act of carrying out the sentence is an execution.Life imprisonmentCriminal punishmentLife imprisonment (or a life sentence) is any sentence of imprisonment in which the convicted individual will remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term), with or without the possibility of release. Crimes that are punishable by life imprisonment are considered extremely serious and usually violent.
assizeRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.