Definition:
Oyer and terminer comes from words meaning "to hear and decide." A court of oyer and terminer was a special court set up to inquire into crimes of a particular nature or in a particular place. If the court of oyer and terminer found sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, the accused person or persons were tried by a regular court with a jury. A court of oyer and terminer thus operated as a grand jury, but it could be set up quickly, in cases of emergency, without the need to wait for a regular court to sit or for a backlog of cases to clear.
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