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common pleas

American  

plural noun

Law.
  1. civil actions or proceedings between private citizens.

  2. Also Common Pleas court of common pleas.


common pleas British  

noun

  1. short for Court of Common Pleas

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of common pleas

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Rep. John Galloway of Bucks is running for district judge, Rep. Amen Brown for Philadelphia mayor, Rep. Kristine Howard of Chester for common pleas judge and Rep. Sara Innamorato to be Allegheny’s next county executive.

From Seattle Times May 8, 2023

Two really common pleas are solicitation and misprision.

From Slate Jun. 10, 2020

He served as an assistant Ohio attorney general and a municipal judge, and he was elected Hamilton County common pleas judge in 1964 — as a Republican overcoming the Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic presidential landslide.

From Washington Post May 21, 2020

Bruzzese, 65, hears general and domestic relations cases as one of two judges serving in Jefferson County common pleas court.

From The Guardian Aug. 21, 2017

In 1634 he was appointed chief justice of the court of common pleas, and distinguished himself by the active zeal with which he upheld the king’s prerogative.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various

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