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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

The court of common pleas hears more serious cases than municipal courts, including the bulk of felony and major civil litigation in the county.

From New York Times Aug. 21, 2017

He came on horseback, and arrived while Judge Cooper was presiding as judge of the court of common pleas.

From The Story of Cooperstown by Birdsall, Ralph

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