About General Sessions Courts
General Sessions Court jurisdiction varies from county to county based on state laws and private acts. Every county is served by this court of limited jurisdiction, which hears both civil and criminal cases.
Civil jurisdiction is restricted to specific monetary limits and types of actions. Criminal jurisdiction is limited to preliminary hearings in felony cases and misdemeanor trials in which a defendant waives the right to a grand jury investigation and trial by jury in Circuit or Criminal Court.
General Sessions judges also serve as juvenile judges except in counties in which the legislature has established separate Juvenile Courts. General Sessions judges are elected to 8-year terms.
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity. This shows grade level based on the word's complexity. noun a local court with general jurisdiction, both civil and criminal.
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Origin of court of general sessions
An Americanism dating back to 1695–1705
Words nearby court of general sessions
court of common pleas, court of domestic relations, court of equity, Court of Exchequer, court of first instance, court of general sessions, court of honor, court of honour, court of inquiry, Court of Justiciary, court of law
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use court of general sessions in a sentence
Unless there is a court decision that changes our law, we are OK.
On Dec. 30, she filed a similar lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court.
Cassandra, whose hair has already begun to fall out from her court-mandated chemotherapy, could face a similar outcome.
He added: “People say he deserves his day in court… Do we have enough time?”
The court ruled she lacked the maturity to make her own medical decisions.
A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.
In the year of misery, of agony and suffering in general he had endured, he had settled upon one theory.
To others the fierce desire for social justice obliterates all fear of a general catastrophe.
Finally, let me ask the general reader to put aside all prejudice, and give both sides a fair hearing.
General Lachambre, as the hero of Cavite, followed to receive the applause which was everywhere showered upon him in Spain.
A court of general sessions was a type of court originally established as a colonial court of quarter sessions in the British North American colonies. Some of these courts continued in some form after Canada and the United States became independent countries.
These courts initially had general jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters.
New York[edit]
In New York, the Court of Quarter Sessions was established on October 17, 1683, by the first Assembly in New York. It had jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters until 1691, when it was restricted to felony crimes not punishable by death or life imprisonment. The court was abolished in all counties of New York except New York County (now Manhattan) by the New York Constitution of 1846. In New York County, the Court of General Sessions continued until 1962 when its scope devolved to the New York Supreme Court (a trial-level court of general jurisdiction not to be confused with the highest court of the New York system, which is called the New York Court of Appeals). At the time when it was abolished, the Court of General Sessions of New York County was the oldest criminal court in the United States.[1]
Pennsylvania[edit]
In Pennsylvania, the courts of general sessions in continued until the constitution of that Commonwealth was rewritten in 1968 and the courts' jurisdiction was placed under the pre-existing Courts of Common Pleas in each county.
South Carolina[edit]
The Court of General Sessions in South Carolina originally served the entire colony and met in Charles Town. It had the same justices as the Court of Common Pleas, and it dealt with criminal cases. Some records of the court date from 1671. An act in 1785 established courts in every county.[2] The current South Carolina Circuit Court has two divisions – the civil division, called the Court of Common Pleas, and the criminal division, called the Court of General Sessions.
Washington, D.C.[edit]
The District of Columbia has a court called the Court of General Sessions. It is part of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[3] However, it dates only as far back as 1963, when Congress converted the Municipal Court to the Court of General Sessions. It was combined with other courts into the Superior Court in 1970.
References[edit]
- ^ "The Court of General Sessions, 1683-1847; In New York City, 1683-1962". New York State Unified Court System. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "South Carolina Court of General Sessions - A History". www.carolana.com. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Inc, US Legal. "District of Columbia State Courts – Courts". Retrieved September 28, 2019.