SESSIONS OF THE PEACE. /n English Law. Sittings of justices of the peace for the execution of the powers wnich are confided to them as such.
Petty sessions (or petit sessions) are sittings held by one or more justices for the trial of minor offences, admitting to bail prisoners accused of felony, and the like purposes.
When sitting for purposes of- prelinnin.try inquiry, the public cannot claim admittar ce ; but it is otherwise when sitting for purposes of adjudication.
Special sessions are sittings of two or more justices on a particular occasion for the ex ercise of some given branch of their author ity, upon reasonable notice given to the other magistmtes of the hundred or other division of the county, city, etc. for which they are convened. See stat. 7 & 8 Vict. c. 33.
The counties a,re distributed into divisions, and authority given by various statutes to the justices acting for the several divisions to transact different descriptions of business, such as licensing alehouses, or appointing overseers of the poor, surveyors of the high ways, etc., at special sessions. 3 Stephen,
Comm. 43, 44.
General sessions of the peace-are courts of record, holden before the justices, whereof one is of the quorum, for execution of the gene ral authority given to the justices by tha commission of the peace a.nd certain acts of parliament.
The only description of general sessions now usually held is the court of general quarter sessions of the peace; but in the county of Middlesex, besides the four quarter sessions, four general sessions are held in the intervals, and original inteime diate sessions occasionally take place. They may be called, by any two justices in the jurisdiction, one being of the quorum, or by the custos rotitlorum and one justice, but not by one justice or the custos rotnlorum alone.
General quarter sessions of the peace. See COURT OF GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS OF TM. PEACE.