Quarter Sessions - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: quarter sessionsQuarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions, the sittings of the whole body of the justices of the peace in a county, and of a recorder in a borough, having a separate Court of quarter sessions, four times in each year, or oftener, to try certain indictable offences, and hear appeals from petty sessions. The holding of quarter sessions can be dispensed with or the time for holding them varied within certain limits by virtue of the Assizes and Quarter Sessions Act, 1908, as amended by the Crim. Justice Act, 1925; see ss. 18-23 and 1st Sched. Where by statute the decision of the Quarter Sessions is final, there is no power to state a case for the opinion of the High Court, Kydd v. Liverpool Watch Committee, 1908 AC 327. See SESSIONS OF THE PLACE....
Middlesex Quarter Sessions
Middlesex Quarter Sessions. The are over which the Quarter Sessions for the County of Middlesex has jurisdiction is now much smaller than formerly, owing to the extension of the County of London, which has its own sessions (London Sessions). As a result, the Middlesex Sessions are no longer presided over by a paid judge and his assistant, but by an unpaid chairman and vice-chairman, as in other counties. Middlesex Sessions are held at the Guildhall, Westminster, and are not to be confused with London Sessions, which are presided over by a paid chairman and deputy-chairman, now held at the Sessions House....
Sessions of the peace
Sessions of the peace, sittings of justices of the peace for the execution of those powers which are confided to them by their commission, or by charter, and by numerous statutes. They are of three descriptions:-I. Petty Sessions.--Metropolitan Police magistrates can act alone (see that title), with that exception, every meeting of two or more justices in the same place, for the execution of some power vested in them by law, whether had on their own mere motion, or on the requisition of any party entitled to require their attendance in discharge of some duty, is a petty or petit session. The occasions for holding petty sessions are very numerous, amongst the most important of which is the bailing persons accused of felony, which may be done after a full hearing of evidence on both sides, where the presumption of guilt shall either be weak in itself, or weakened by the proofs adduced on behalf of the prisoner. See PETTY SESSIONS.As to right of the public to attend petty sessions, see OP...
Intoxicating liquor
Intoxicating liquor, the word 'intoxicating liquor' is not confined to potable liquor alone but would include all liquor which contain alcohol. Liquor should not only cover alcoholic liquor which is generally used for beverage purposes wand produce intoxication but would also include liquids containing alcohol, State of U.P. v. Synthetics and Chemicals Ltd., AIR 1980 SC 614: (1980) 2 SCR 531: (1980) 2 SCC 441. [Constitution of India, List II, 7th Sch., Entry 8]See also Synthetics and Chemicals Ltd. v. State of Uttar Pradesh, (1990) 1 SCC 109.Intoxicating liquors. The sale of intoxicating liquors by retail in England and Wales is now mainly regulated by the Licensing (Consolidation) Act, 1910 (10 Edw. 7 & 1 Geo. 5, c. 24), which repealed (see Sched. VII.) the whole or part of thirteen earlier Acts. The effect of this statute is shortly as follows:-1. Grant of Licence.--Defining 'intoxicating liquor' as meaning 'spirits, wine, beer, porter, cider, perry, and sweets, and any fermented, di...
County sessions
County sessions. They are the general quarter sessions of the peace for each county, and are held four times a year; by the (English) Criminal Justice Act, 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5, c. 86), s. 22, they shall instead of being held at the times prescribed by s. 35 of the Law Terms Act, 1830, be held at such times within the period of 21 days immediately preceding or immediately following March 25th, June 24th, September 29th, December 25th.In London County (see S.R. & O., 1932, No. 418) Quarter Sessions shall be held at Newington January, April, July and October, and the first sessions held in each of these months shall be Geneal Quarter Sessions; Adjourned Quarter Sessions shall also be held in all months at intervals of not less than two weeks or more than three weeks after the beginning of each preceding Quarter Sessions or Adjourned Quarter Sessions. see QUARTER SESSIONS....
Justices
Justices, officers deputed by the Crown to ad-minister justice and do right by way of judgment. The judges of the Supreme Court are called justices, but the word is usually applied to petty magistrates who sit to administer summary justice in minor matters, and who are commonly called justices of the peace. They were first appointed in 1327 by 1 Edw. 3, st. 2, c. 16, and are now appointed by the king's special commission under the Great Seal, the form of which was settled by all the judges in 1590, and continues, with little alteration, to this day. Consult Putnam's Early Treatises on the Practice of the Justices of the Peace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. This appoints them all, jointly and severally, to keep the peace in the county named; and any two or more of them to inquire of and determine felonies and other misdemeanours in such county committed, in which number some particular justices, or one of them, are directed to be always included, and no business done without ...
Recorder
Recorder, in municipal boroughs having a separate Court of Quarter Sessions, a barrister of five years' standing at least, appointed by the Crown, holding office during good behaviour, and receiving 'such yearly salary not exceeding that stated in the petition on which the grant of a separate Court of Quarter Sessions was made,' as the sovereign directs. He is sole judge of the Court of Quarter Sessions, 'having cognizance of all crimes, offences, and matters cognizable by Courts of Quarter Sessions in England,' except that he may not grant licences or hear licensing appeals under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Acts, or levy rates (Municipal Corporations Act, 1882, ss. 162, 165). He may appoint as 'deputy recorder' a barrister of five years' standing, in case of sickness or unavoidable absence, and an 'assistant recorder' if it appears that the Quarter Sessions are likely to last more than three days (ibid., s. 168), as amended by the Summary Jurisdiction (Appeals) Act (23 & 24 Geo....
Municipal corporation
Municipal corporation. A body of persons in a town having the powers of acting as one person, of holding and transmitting property, and of regulating the government of the town. Such corporations existed in the chief towns of England (as of other countries) from very early times, deriving their authority from 'incorporating' charters granted by the Crown.The Municipal Corporations Act,1835 (5 & 6 Wm. 4, c. 76), passed after local inquiries by Royal Commissioners, completely reorganized the constitution of these corporations, and abrogated all charters so far, but so far only, as inconsistent with it. This Act applied to 178 corporations named in the schedules thereto, and to 68 other corporations subsequently receiving a charter, a town to which it applied being styled a 'borough.'The (English) Act of 1835 was amended by a series of statutes passed from time to time, and consolidated by the (English) Municipal Corporations Act,1882 (45 & 46 Vict. c. 50), which, in turn (except for Lond...
Petty Sessions
Petty Sessions. A meeting of two or more justices of the peace, not being a general or quarter sessions, to transact business with which it is either necessary or desirable that more than one justice should deal. The expression is, however, often used to denote a Petty Sessional Court, which is defined as 'a Court of summary jurisdiction, consisting of two or more justices, sitting in apetty sessional Court-house,' and includes 'any stipendiary magistrate when sitting in a Court-house or place or which he is authorized to do alone any act authorized to be done by more than one justice of the peace.'--(English) Interpretation Act, 1889, s. 13 (12). The principal business transacted by a petty sessional Court is the trial of minor offences in a summary way without a jury. This power is given by various statutes dealing with particular offences and by the Summary Jurisdiction Acts. There is an appeal from the decision of a petty sessional Court on questions of law and fact to quarter sess...
Costs
Costs, expenses incurred in litigation or professional transactions, consisting of money paid for stamps, etc., to the officers of the Court, or to the counsel and solicitors, for their fees, etc.Costs in actions are either between solicitor and client, being what are payable in every case to the solicitor by his client, whether he ultimately succeed or not; or between party and party, being those only which are allowed in some particular cases to the party succeeding against his adversary, and these are either interlocutory, given on various motions and proceedings in the course of the suit or action, or final, allowed when the matter is determined.Neither party was entitled to costs at Common Law, but the Statute of Gloucester (6 Edw. 1, c. 4), gave cots to a successful plaintiff, and 2 & 3 Hen. 8, c. 6, and 4 Jac. 1, c. 3, to a victorious defendant; see Garnett v. Bradley, (1878) 3 App Cas 944.In proceedings between the Crown and a subject the general rule is that the Crown neither ...
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