JUDIC, zlin'&k', ANNA DAMIENS. Madame (1849—). A French actress, born July 17, 1849, at Semur. In youth she was a shop girl in Paris, but entered the Conservatoire. and in 1867 made her &but at the Gymnase. The following year, at the Eldorado, she quickly won a popu larity which was increased by a visit to Belgium in 1871. Later she became a leading attraction at the Bouttes-Parisiens and the Varii•tes, and has toured successfully in Europe and America (1885-S6). In 1893, after a period of retirement, she appeared again as a caf6-concert singer. JUDICATURE ACTS (Fr. judicature, from ML. judicature, judicature, from Lat. judi care, to judge). The usual description of the important legislation of 1873, 1875, 1877, and 1881, whereby the judicial system of Great Britain and the procedure of the courts were radically altered and transformed. The acts comprehended in that designation are the 36 & 37 Viet., ch. 66, and 38 & 39 Vict., ch. 77, with amendments in 37 & 38 Vict., ch. 83. and in the laws of 1877, ch. 9, and 1881, ch. 68. Most of the courts affected by this legislation were of great antiquity. The Court of Common Pleas (q.v.), the Court of King's (or Queen's) Bench (q.v.), the Court of Exchequer (q.v.), the Court of .Admiralty (q.v.), the Court of Probate, and the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes. were all united and consolidated and were declared to constitute one 'Supreme Court of Judienture: This court was divided into two permanent di visions, one of which, 'Her Majesty's High Court of Justice,' was invested with original jurisdic tion of causes, together with appellate jurisdic tion from certain inferior courts, which were not abolished; and the other, blIer Majesty's Court of Appeal,' was given such appellate juris diction as might be incident to the determination of any appeal. See COURT.
The most important change in procedure ef fected by the judicature acts was the provision that law and equity should be concurrently administered by the same court, and that equi table defenses should be allowed in legal actions.
The distinction between legal and equitable rights was not abolished, but the same judge or court was authorized to administer both kinds of relief. These provisions make the powers of the High Court of Justice quite analogous to those of the superior courts of original jurisdiction in many of the 'United States under codes of pro cedure. A further important change in pleading and practice was the abolition of the old forms of action (q.v.). While all the elements con stituting a legal claim or defense must be set forth in a pleading, in pleading the pleader is not confined to an artificial and arbitrary form as before, but is simply required to deliver to the defendant a concise statement of his claim and of the relief or remedy to which he claims to be entitled, or a brief statement of his defense, as the case may be.
A third important change in procedure was a provision that an absolute assignment of contract debts and other rights of action should be deemed to pass all legal and equitable rights and title thereto, provided that notice was given to the person liable, and that the assignee should have all legal and other remedies for the enforce ment of such rights. This obviated the necessity which existed under the old practice, of an assignee of a right of action, as a claim for money due, suing in the name of the former owner thereof. By these acts all jurisdiction vested in the judicial committee of the Privy Council (q.v.) upon appeal from any judgment or order of the High Court of Admiralty, or from any order in lunacy proceedings made by the Lord Chancellor, or any other person having jurisdiction in lunacy, was transferred to and vested in the Court of Appeals. See CHANCERY, COURT OF; ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS; FORMS OF ACTION; PLEADING; PRACTICE.