supreme courts

Noun

supreme court (plural supreme courts)

1. A court of law which represents the highest legal authority within a jurisdiction.
   • Many observers believed that the tribunal will consciously or unconsciously be influenced by the November elections. It is an old saying that the supreme court watches the polls.1934 October 13, “Is the U.S. Supreme Court Swayed by Politics?”, in The China Weekly Review, volume 70, number 7, →OCLC, page 216, column 1
2. A superior court; a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases.
   • After the establishment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the original Supreme Court was renamed as the Senior Courts.
3. (Canada, US) In certain provinces and states, a superior court of original jurisdiction, which however is inferior to said region's court of appeals.

See all 8 meanings of supreme court