court of assize and nisi prius
- noun
- Archaic
:
tribunal de asiduo y nisi prius
- Before 1971, the court of assize and nisi prius handled the most serious criminal trials outside London.
Examples
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The court of assize and nisi prius was abolished with the introduction of the Crown Court system.
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Before 1971, the court of assize and nisi prius was responsible for hearing serious criminal cases in England.
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Legal historians often reference the court of assize and nisi prius when studying the evolution of English law.
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The court of assize and nisi prius was a significant institution in English legal history.
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Many serious cases were tried in the court of assize and nisi prius before 1971.
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The court of assize and nisi prius played a crucial role in the administration of justice before being replaced by Crown Courts.
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Legal scholars often examine the court of assize and nisi prius to understand the history of criminal law in England.
Synonyms
∞
1.4
A place where a judge hears and decides legal cases
1
9.9
Regular criminal courts held in English counties before 1971
A former county court in England and Wales for serious criminal cases
Surface Forms
Morphology
court + of + assize + and + nisi + prius
This is a specialized, historical legal term whose key components ('assize' and the Latin phrase 'nisi prius') are archaic or technical legal words whose meanings are not transparently built from common English vocabulary. A B1 learner who knows 'court' and function words would not be able to infer the institution's specific role or historical status from the parts alone, so the expression is unpredictable and jargon-like.
Etymology
The name court of assize and nisi prius comes from old English law when royal judges traveled around a county to hold big trials; that traveling session was called assize, and nisi prius was a Latin phrase meaning the case could be heard locally. So the name refers to a county court where 'serious cases' were held.