common pleas

American  

plural noun

Law.

1. civil actions or proceedings between private citizens.

2. Also Common Pleas court of common pleas.

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common pleas British  

noun

1. short for Court of Common Pleas

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Etymology

Origin of common pleas

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225

Example Sentences

Jacob Wohl, 24, of Irvine, California, and Jack Burkman, 56, of Arlington, Virginia, could each receive a year in prison when they are sentenced Nov. 29 in common pleas court.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2022

Two really common pleas are solicitation and misprision.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2020

He served as an assistant Ohio attorney general and a municipal judge, and he was elected Hamilton County common pleas judge in 1964 — as a Republican overcoming the Lyndon B. Johnson Democratic presidential landslide.

From Washington Post • May 21, 2020

In one extreme instance, a common pleas judge became incensed when a prosecutor refused to follow her orders to charge a probation violation before a new weapons arrest.

From New York Times • Oct. 30, 2018

After the Revolution he became a magistrate, went to the legislature, became judge of the court of common pleas, and a member of congress.

From Diary of Anna Green Winslow A Boston School Girl of 1771 by Winslow, Anna Green