KFLCC Kingdom Law 2nd Ed.

COURT OF THE CORONER

COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS

288

comprising all the high officials of each prov ince and representatives of the minor clergy. It is in the nature of an ecclesiastical par liament ; and, so far as its judicial functions extend, it has jurisdiction of cases of heresy, schism, and other purely ecclesiastical mat ters. An appeal lies to the king in council. COURT QF THE CORONER. In Eng lish law. A court of record, to inquire, when any one dies in prison, or comes to a violent or sudden death, by what manner he came to his end. 4 .Steph. Comm. 323; 4 Bl. Comm. 274. See COEONEB. COURTS OF THE COUNTIES PALA TINE. In English law. A species of pri vate court which formerly appertained to the counties palatine of Lancaster and Durham. COURT OF COUNTY COMMISSION ERS. There is in each county of Alabama a court of record, styled the "court of county commissioners," composed of the judge of probate, as principal judge, and four com missioners, who are elected at the times pre scribed by law, and hold office for four years. Code Ala. 1886, § 819. COURT OF DELEGATES. An English tribunal composed of delegates appointed by royal commission, and formerly the great court of appeal in all ecclesiastical causes. The powers of the court were, by 2 & 3 Wm. IV. c. 92, transferred to the privy council. A commission of review was formerly grant ed, in extraordinary cases, to revise a sen tence of the court of delegates, when that court had apparently been led into material error. Brown; 3 Bl. Comm. 66. COURT OF THE DUCHY OF LANCAS TER. A court of special jurisdiction, held before the chancellor of the duchy or his deputy, concerning all matters of equity re lating to lands holden of the king in right of the duchy of Lancaster. 3 BL Comm. 78. COURT OF EQUITY. A court which has jurisdiction in equity, which administers justice and decides controversies in accord ance with the rules, principles, and prece dents of equity, and which follows the forms and procedure of chancery; as distinguished from a court having the jurisdiction, rules, principles, and practice of the common law. Thomas v. Phillips, 4 Smedes & M. (Miss.) 423. COURT OF ERROR. An expression ap plied especially to the court of exchequer chamber and the house of lords, as taking cognizance of error brought. Mozley & Whit ley. It is applied in some of the United States to the court of last resort in the state; and in its most general sense denotes any court having power to review the decisions of lower courts on appeal, error, certiorari, or other process.

COURT OF ERRORS AND APPEALS. The court of last resort in the state of New Jersey is so named. Formerly, the same ti tle was given to the highest court of appeal in New York. —High court of errors and appeals. The court of last resort in the state of Mississippi. COURT OF EXCHEQUER. In Eng lish law. A very ancient court of record, set up by William the Conqueror as a part of the aula regis, and atterwards one of the four superior courts at Westminster. It was, however, inferior in rank to both the king's bench and the common pleas. It was pre sided over by a chief baron and four puisne barons. It was originally the king's treas ury, and was charged with keeping the king'* accounts and collecting the royal revenues. But pleas between subject and subject were anciently heard there, until this was for bidden by the ArUcula super Chart as, (1290,) after which its jurisdiction as a court only extended to revenue cases arising out of the non-payment or withholding of debts to the crown. But the privilege of suing and being sued in this court was extended to the king's accountants, and later, by the use of a con venient fiction to the effect that the plain tiff was the king's debtor or accountant, the court was thrown open to all suitors in per sonal actions. The exchequer had formerly both an equity side and a common-law side, but its equity jurisdiction was taken away by the statute 5 Vict. c. 5, (1842,) and trans ferred to the court of chancery. The judica ture act (1873) transferred the business and jurisdiction of this court to the "Exchequer Division" of the "High Court of Justice." In Scotch, law. A court which formerly had jurisdiction of matters of revenue, and a limited jurisdiction over cases between the crown and its vassals where no questions of title were involved. COURT OF EXCHEQUER CHAMBER. The name of a former English court of ap peal, intermediate between the superior courts of common law and the house of lords. When sitting as a court of appeal from any one of the three superior courts of common law, it was composed of judges of the other two courts. 3 Bl. Comm. 56, 57; 3 Steph. Comm. 333, 356. By the judicature act (1873) the jurisdiction of this court is transferred to the court of appeal. COURT OF GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS OF THE PEACE. In Ameri can law. A court of criminal jurisdiction in New Jersey. In English law. A court of criminal ju risdiction, in England, held in each county once in every quarter of a year, but in the county of Middlesex twice a month. 4 Steph. Comm. 317-320. COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS. The name given in some of the states (as