quarter sessions

quarter sessions
1. an English court of general criminal jurisdiction for crimes less than homicide, held quarterly.
2. (in the U.S.) a court with limited criminal jurisdiction, having local administrative powers in some states.
[1570-80]

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law
      formerly, in England and Wales, sessions of a court held four times a year by a justice of the peace to hear criminal charges as well as civil and criminal appeals. The term also applied to a court held before a recorder, or judge, in a borough having a quarter sessions separate from that of the county in which the borough was situated. Under the Courts Act of 1971, all of the quarter-sessions courts were abolished, and their work was assumed by a system of courts called the Crown Court.

      The history of quarter sessions traces to 1327, when Edward III appointed men in every county to keep the peace. By 1368 these justices of the peace were empowered to hear and determine cases brought to them on criminal matters, and in 1388 they were commanded to sit four times a year in their counties. Prior to their abolition in 1971, quarter-sessions courts came to have jurisdiction to hear and determine most of the indictable cases in England and Wales. They became situated between magistrates' courts below and assize courts above. When sitting with a jury, a quarter-sessions court had a wide criminal jurisdiction and could also hear civil and criminal cases on appeal from a magistrates' court.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Quarter sessions — Quarter Quar ter (kw[aum]r t[ e]r), n. [F. quartier, L. quartarius a fourth part, fr. quartus the fourth. See {Quart}.] 1. One of four equal parts into which anything is divided, or is regarded as divided; a fourth part or portion; as, a quarter… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • quarter sessions — quarter .sessions n [plural] an English law court that was held in the past once every three months …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • quarter sessions — ► PLURAL NOUN historical ▪ (in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) a court of limited criminal and civil jurisdiction and of appeal, usually held quarterly …   English terms dictionary

  • quarter sessions — n. Historical a local court, as in England or the U.S., that sits quarterly; specif., an English local court having civil and criminal jurisdiction, except in cases involving the most serious crimes …   English World dictionary

  • Quarter Sessions — The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire. They generally sat in the seat of each county and county… …   Wikipedia

  • Quarter sessions — Session Ses sion, n. [L. sessio, fr. sedere, sessum, to sit: cf. F. session. See {Sit}.] 1. The act of sitting, or the state of being seated. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] So much his ascension into heaven and his session at the right hand of God do… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • quarter sessions — /ˈkwɔtə sɛʃənz/ (say kwawtuh seshuhnz) noun → court of quarter sessions …  

  • Quarter Sessions Act 1837 — The Quarter Sessions Act 1837 (1 2 Vict. c. 4) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, signed into law on December 23, 1837. In order to remove doubts which existed on the subject, it enacted that juries could be summoned to attend… …   Wikipedia

  • quarter sessions of the peace — See court of quarter sessions of the peace …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • quarter-sessions — quarˈter sessions plural noun A court formerly held quarterly by justices of the peace (superseded in England and Wales in 1972 by crown courts) • • • Main Entry: ↑quarter …   Useful english dictionary

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