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View synonyms for posse comitatus

posse comitatus

[ pos-ee kom-i-tah-tuhs, -tey- ]

noun

  1. the body of persons that a peace officer of a county is empowered to call upon for assistance in preserving the peace, making arrests, and serving writs.
  2. a body of persons so called into service.


posse comitatus

/ ˌkɒmɪˈtɑːtəs /

noun

  1. the formal legal term for posse
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of posse comitatus1

1620–30; < Medieval Latin: posse of the county
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Word History and Origins

Origin of posse comitatus1

Medieval Latin: strength (manpower) of the county
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Example Sentences

Constitutional sheriffs — an outgrowth of the white-nationalist posse comitatus movement — claim they are above federal and state government and are the ultimate arbiters of the law.

Related is the "constitutional sheriffs" movement, which also tries to make itself sound more official by using the name "posse comitatus."

From Salon

Moreover, it is actually the first time on U.S. soil where the FBI and the Defense Department are collaborating on a program, which raises a whole bunch of other issues about posse comitatus.

From Salon

Robert Tsai, a law professor at American University, has called the constitutional sheriffs organization a fringe group with roots in the far-right, anti-Semitic “posse comitatus” movement of the 1970s and 1980s.

How startling would any development have to be — a posse comitatus violation?

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