thumb|A trial at the [[Old Bailey in London as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Microcosm of London (1808–11)]]

thumb|The [[International Court of Justice]]

A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law.

Courts generally consist of judges or other judicial officers, and are usually established and dissolved through legislation enacted by a legislature. Courts may also be established by constitution or an equivalent constituting instrument.

The practical authority given to the court is known as its jurisdiction, which describes the court's power to decide certain kinds of questions, or petitions put to it. There are various kinds of courts, including trial courts, appellate courts, administrative courts, international courts, and tribunals.

Description

A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. In both common law and civil law legal systems, courts are the central means for dispute resolution, and it is generally understood that all people have an ability to bring their claims before a court. Similarly, the rights of those accused of a crime include the right to present a defense before a court.

The system of courts that interprets and applies the law is collectively known as the judiciary. The place where a court sits is known as a venue. The room where court proceedings occur is known as a courtroom, and the building as a courthouse; court facilities range from simple and very small facilities in rural communities to large complex facilities in urban communities.

The practical authority given to the court is known as its jurisdiction (from Latin , from , "of the law", + , "to declare", + , noun-forming suffix), the court's power to decide certain kinds of questions or petitions put to it. According to William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, a court (for civil wrongs) is constituted by a minimum of three parties: the or plaintiff, who complains of an injury done; the or defendant, who is called upon to make satisfaction for it; and the or judicial power, who is to examine the truth of the fact, determine the law arising upon that fact, and, if any injury appears to have been done, ascertain and by its officers apply a legal remedy. It is also usual in the superior courts to have barristers, and attorneys or counsel, as assistants, though, often, courts consist of additional barristers, bailiffs, reporters, and perhaps a jury.

In the modern day, courts in the United States are designed and are supposed to provide fair trials and protect the rights of citizens, but in reality it’s uncommon for most criminal cases to actually reach trial. Based on the research by the https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/06/11/only-2-of-federal-criminal-defendants-go-to-trial-and-most-who-do-are-found-guilty/ it states that, “Nearly 80,000 people were defendants in federal criminal cases in fiscal 2018, but just 2% of them went to trial. The overwhelming majority (90%) pleaded guilty instead.” The same source goes even deeper into detail, stating that “Trials are rare in the federal criminal justice system – and acquittals are even rarer.” Many defendants choose plea bargains because trials are expensive, take too long, and risky. The concept of the “trial penalty” also affects these decisions. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_penalty, the trial penalty is the “discrepancy between the sentence the prosecutor is willing to offer in exchange for a guilty plea and the sentence that would be imposed after a trial.” When you read deeper into the document it goes in depth by saying, “Defendants who exercise their right to trial are penalized with sentences 64% longer than they would have received had they accepted a plea deal.” Another example is a study published by the https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07418820902998063 which states, “We find that meaningful trial penalties exist after accounting for Guidelines‐based rationales for differentially sentencing those convicted by guilty plea versus trial.” Similarly, the https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/time-penalty-examining-relationship-between-time-conviction-and-trial-vs-plea explains that “defendants who plead guilty receive relatively lenient sentences compared with similarly situated defendants convicted by trial.” Former U.S. District Judge John Gleeson also argued in the https://www.criminallegalnews.org/news/2021/aug/15/trial-penalty-harm-coercive-prosecutorial-tactics-and-plea-bargains (https://www.criminallegalnews.org/news/2021/aug/15/trial-penalty-harm-coercive-prosecutorial-tactics-and-plea-bargains/) that “A system characterized by extravagant trial penalties produces guilty pleas in cases where the government cannot satisfy that burden.” Together, these sources show that although courts are meant to uphold justice through trials, the modern legal system heavily depends on plea bargains to manage large numbers of criminal cases efficiently.

Etymology

thumb|The building of the [[Supreme Court of Estonia in Tartu]]

The word court comes from the French , an enclosed yard, which derives from the Latin form , the accusative case of , which again means an enclosed yard or the occupants of such a yard. The English word court is thus a descendant of the Latin word from Ancient Greek () (meaning "garden", hence horticulture and orchard), both referring to an enclosed space.

The meaning of a judicial assembly is first attested in the 12th century, and derives from the earlier usage to designate a sovereign and his entourage, which met to adjudicate disputes in such an enclosed yard. The verb "to court", meaning to win favor, derives from the same source since people traveled to the sovereign's court to win his favor.

The term the court is used to refer to the presiding officer or officials, usually one or more judges. The judge or panel of judges may also be collectively referred to as "the bench" (in contrast to attorneys and barristers, collectively referred to as "the bar"). In the United States, the legal authority of a court to take action is based on personal jurisdiction over the parties to the litigation and subject-matter jurisdiction over the claims asserted.

The system of courts that interprets and applies the law is collectively known as the judiciary. The place where a court sits is known as a venue. The room where court proceedings occur is known as a courtroom, and the building as a courthouse; court facilities range from simple and very small facilities in rural communities to large complex facilities in urban communities.

Jurisdiction

300px|thumb|The Court House of [[Kavala, Greece]]

The practical authority given to the court is known as its jurisdiction (from Latin , from , "of the law", + , "to declare", + , noun-forming suffix), the court's power to decide certain kinds of questions or petitions put to it. According to William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, a court (for civil wrongs) is constituted by a minimum of three parties: the or plaintiff, who complains of an injury done; the or defendant, who is called upon to make satisfaction for it; and the or judicial power, who is to examine the truth of the fact, determine the law arising upon that fact, and, if any injury appears to have been done, ascertain and by its officers apply a legal remedy. It is also usual in the superior courts to have barristers, and attorneys or counsel, as assistants,

"Whether a given court has jurisdiction to preside over a given case" is a key question in any legal action. Three basic components of jurisdiction are personal jurisdiction over an individual or thing (), jurisdiction over the particular subject matter (subject-matter jurisdiction) and territorial jurisdiction. This theory of civil law was rediscovered around the end of the eleventh century and became a foundation for university legal education starting in Bologna, Italy and subsequently being taught throughout continental European universities. The royal judges created a body of law by combining local customs they were made aware of through traveling and visiting local jurisdictions. Notable court shows include:

  • Caso Cerrado
  • Eye for an Eye
  • Judge Alex
  • Judge Joe Brown
  • Judge Judy
  • Judge Mathis
  • Judge Rinder
  • Paternity Court
  • The People's Court

See also

  • Kangaroo court
  • Sentencing disparity

References