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  • court of common pleas
    court of common pleas
    noun
    (formerly in England) a court to hear civil cases between common citizens.
  • Court of Common Pleas
    Court of Common Pleas
    noun
    English law (formerly) a superior court exercising jurisdiction in civil actions between private citizens

court of common pleas

American  
Or Court of Common Pleas

noun

Law.
  1. (formerly in England) a court to hear civil cases between common citizens.

  2. (in some U.S. states) a court with general civil jurisdiction.


Court of Common Pleas British  

noun

  1. English law (formerly) a superior court exercising jurisdiction in civil actions between private citizens

  2. law (in some states) a court exercising original and general jurisdiction

"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 court of common pleas

First recorded in 1680–90

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:

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

On Tuesday, in the Montgomery County court of common pleas, a detective who was there that night 12 years ago told what he knew of the story at the center of the comedian’s trial.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 6, 2017

The case will unfold with Judge Steven O’Neill presiding in the Montgomery County court of common pleas, not far from the Elkins Park mansion where Cosby still lives.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 5, 2017

The $7.3m in compensatory and punitive damages for Michael McQueary was confirmed Kendra Miknis, chief administrator of the centre county court of common pleas in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Reuters reported.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 27, 2016

Davidson, the court of queen’s bench, following the decision of the court of common pleas in Cocks v.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 "Convention" to "Copyright" by Various

Court documents show that Judge Angelo Foglietta of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas said that "all parties must be present at the time of the hearing".

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2024

The winner takes on Republican Dan Hawkins, a judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, this fall.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

The student, Sarah Katz, 21, drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade in September 2022, and died later that day, according to the lawsuit, filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2023

It is a civil suit filed in October by the Oliversons in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas against Little League and the manufacturer of the bunk beds in Williamsport, which did not have guardrails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

The first recognition of population in South Western Ontario was the formation in 1788, of the District of Hesse and the appointment of Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, and other officials.

From The Court Houses of a Century A Brief Historical Sketch of the Court Houses of London Distict, the County of Middlesex, and County of Elgin by Kenneth W. McKay

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