court-ridden

Adjective

court-ridden (comparative more court-ridden, superlative most court-ridden)

1. Dominated or overly influenced by the (royal) court.
   • I wonder shall History ever pull off her periwig and cease to be court-ridden? Shall we see something of France and England besides Versailles and Windsor?1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Henry Esmond, London: Smith, Elder & Co., Volume I, Book 1, p. 26
   • The stage censorship in this age is a deliberate and wanton insult to the British public, and one which, if they had the slightest spirit in them and were not—as far as the majority of the theatrical public goes—a body of court-ridden snobs, they would sweep away in a moment. Her Majesty may be the...1895 March 16, Jerome K. Jerome, editor, To-Day, page 178
2. Dominated or overly influenced by the judiciary.
   • So a Canadian who did not happen to know better might exclaim, Why, what’s the use of a Senate and House of Representatives or House of Assembly, when their hands are tied by the letter which killeth, when they cannot even “boss” a court? What kind of a country is it where no matter how offensive...1917, William Renwick Riddell, The Constitution of Canada in its History and Practical Working, New Haven: Yale University Press, Lecture IV, pp. 147-148
   • The United States of America is the most court ridden country in the world. ¶ Every federal court assumes the right and authority to declare any act of congress unconstitutional. In no other country do the courts presume to override national legislature.1936, “Labor Laws Await Supreme Court Test,” The Lather, Cleveland, Ohio: Wood, Wire and Metal Lathers’ International Union, Volume 34, No. 2, October 1936, p. 7.