Court of general sessions: Difference between revisions
BarrelProof (talk | contribs) m BarrelProof moved page Court of general sessions to Court of General Sessions over redirect: Revert move to lowercase |
Javert2113 (talk | contribs) Adding short description: "Judicial courts in British American colonies" |
||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Judicial courts in British American colonies}} |
|||
{{Unreferenced stub|auto=yes|date=December 2009}} |
|||
{{refimprove|date=September 2018}} |
|||
'''Courts of Quarter Sessions''' were the courts for the [[British North America]]n colonies and existed until the creation of local court systems in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]]. |
|||
A '''court of general sessions''' was a type of court originally established as a colonial [[Quarter session|court of quarter sessions]] in the [[British North America]]n colonies. Some of these courts continued in some form after [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] became independent countries. |
|||
These courts initially had general jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters. |
|||
==New York== |
|||
In [[New York (state)|New York]], the Court of Quarter Sessions was established on October 17, 1683, by the first Assembly in New York. It had jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters until 1691, when it was restricted to felony crimes not punishable by death or life imprisonment. The court was abolished in all counties of New York except [[New York County]] (now [[Manhattan]]) by the [[New York Constitution|New York Constitution of 1846]]. In New York County, the Court of General Sessions continued until 1962 when its scope devolved to the [[New York Supreme Court]] (a trial-level court of general jurisdiction not to be confused with the highest court of the New York system, which is called the [[New York Court of Appeals]]). At the time when it was abolished, the Court of General Sessions of New York County was the oldest criminal court in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycourts.gov/history/legal-history-new-york/other-courts/court-of-general-sessions.html |title=The Court of General Sessions, 1683-1847; In New York City, 1683-1962 |website=New York State Unified Court System |access-date=September 27, 2018}}</ref> |
|||
==Pennsylvania== |
|||
In [[Pennsylvania]], the courts of general sessions in continued until the constitution of that Commonwealth was rewritten in 1968 and the courts' jurisdiction was placed under the pre-existing [[Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas|Courts of Common Pleas]] in each county. |
|||
==South Carolina== |
|||
The Court of General Sessions in [[South Carolina]] originally served the entire colony and met in [[Charles Town, South Carolina|Charles Town]]. It had the same justices as the [[Court of Common Pleas]], and it dealt with criminal cases. Some records of the court date from 1671. An act in 1785 established courts in every county.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.carolana.com/SC/Courts/SC_Court_of_General_Sessions.html|title=South Carolina Court of General Sessions - A History|website=www.carolana.com|accessdate=September 28, 2019}}</ref> The current [[South Carolina Circuit Court]] has two divisions – the civil division, called the [[Court of Common Pleas (South Carolina)|Court of Common Pleas]], and the criminal division, called the [[Court of General Sessions (South Carolina)|Court of General Sessions]]. |
|||
==Washington, D.C.== |
|||
The [[District of Columbia]] has a court called the Court of General Sessions. It is part of the [[Superior Court of the District of Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://courts.uslegal.com/state-courts/district-of-columbia-state-courts/,%20https://courts.uslegal.com/state-courts/district-of-columbia-state-courts/|title=District of Columbia State Courts – Courts|first=US Legal|last=Inc|accessdate=September 28, 2019}}</ref> However, it dates only as far back as 1963, when Congress converted the Municipal Court to the Court of General Sessions. It was combined with other courts into the Superior Court in 1970. |
|||
==References== |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Court Of General Sessions}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Court Of General Sessions}} |
||
[[Category:Courts by type]] |
[[Category:Courts by type]] |
||
{{US-law-stub}} |
{{US-law-stub}} |
||
Latest revision as of 22:14, 17 October 2022
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2018) |
A court of general sessions was a type of court originally established as a colonial court of quarter sessions in the British North American colonies. Some of these courts continued in some form after Canada and the United States became independent countries.
These courts initially had general jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters.
New York
[edit]In New York, the Court of Quarter Sessions was established on October 17, 1683, by the first Assembly in New York. It had jurisdiction over both civil and criminal matters until 1691, when it was restricted to felony crimes not punishable by death or life imprisonment. The court was abolished in all counties of New York except New York County (now Manhattan) by the New York Constitution of 1846. In New York County, the Court of General Sessions continued until 1962 when its scope devolved to the New York Supreme Court (a trial-level court of general jurisdiction not to be confused with the highest court of the New York system, which is called the New York Court of Appeals). At the time when it was abolished, the Court of General Sessions of New York County was the oldest criminal court in the United States.[1]
Pennsylvania
[edit]In Pennsylvania, the courts of general sessions in continued until the constitution of that Commonwealth was rewritten in 1968 and the courts' jurisdiction was placed under the pre-existing Courts of Common Pleas in each county.
South Carolina
[edit]The Court of General Sessions in South Carolina originally served the entire colony and met in Charles Town. It had the same justices as the Court of Common Pleas, and it dealt with criminal cases. Some records of the court date from 1671. An act in 1785 established courts in every county.[2] The current South Carolina Circuit Court has two divisions – the civil division, called the Court of Common Pleas, and the criminal division, called the Court of General Sessions.
Washington, D.C.
[edit]The District of Columbia has a court called the Court of General Sessions. It is part of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[3] However, it dates only as far back as 1963, when Congress converted the Municipal Court to the Court of General Sessions. It was combined with other courts into the Superior Court in 1970.
References
[edit]- ^ "The Court of General Sessions, 1683-1847; In New York City, 1683-1962". New York State Unified Court System. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "South Carolina Court of General Sessions - A History". www.carolana.com. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Inc, US Legal. "District of Columbia State Courts – Courts". Retrieved September 28, 2019.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  | This article relating to law in the United States or its constituent jurisdictions is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article relating to the history of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
.svg){kind=small} | This article about Canadian law is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| | This Canadian history article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |