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criminal court
noun
: a court that has jurisdiction to try and punish offenders against criminal law
Examples of criminal court in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Paxton supporters take the state’s highest criminal court In 2022, Paxton received a decisive rebuff from the state’s Court of Criminal Appeals, whose conservative justices ruled his office could not unilaterally prosecute election fraud — but would have to work with local prosecutors.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
The 18 courts at the Old Bailey, properly known as the Central criminal court of England and Wales, are the setting for the major criminal trials of Greater London.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 17 Oct. 2024
Before this fifth proceeding reached the justices, moreover, Oklahoma’s highest criminal court rejected his Brady and Napue arguments, in part because, the court claimed, Oklahoma’s laws limiting his ability to repeatedly challenge his conviction prevented him from raising those arguments.
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 9 Oct. 2024
Texas nearly executed Roberson in 2016, but the process was halted days before by the state's highest criminal court, which allowed a lower court to conduct an evidentiary hearing.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 3 Oct. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1605, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near criminal court
Cite this Entry
“Criminal court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminal%20court. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Legal Definition
criminal court
noun
: a court that has jurisdiction to try criminal defendants
More from Merriam-Webster on criminal court
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for criminal court
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about criminal court
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