The ''privilegium fori'' (
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "privilege of the (legal) forum") is a generic term for legal privileges to be tried in a particular court or type of
court of law
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
.
Typically, it is an application of the principle of trial by one's peers, either by such a
jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...
or at least by a specific court from that social segment, such as a soldier by a
court martial
A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...
, a cleric by an
ecclesiastical court
In organized Christianity, an ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain non-adversarial courts conducted by church-approved officials having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. Histo ...
.
Canon law
''Privilegium fori'' used to be one of the
ecclesiastical privileges in the
canon law of the Catholic Church
The canon law of the Catholic Church () is "how the Church organizes and governs herself". It is the system of religious laws and canon law, ecclesiastical legal principles made and enforced by the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church, hierarchical ...
: a member of the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
received a special tribunal in civil and criminal causes before an
ecclesiastical judge.
This privilege was based on provisions in
Roman law
Roman law is the law, legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (), to the (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I.
Roman law also den ...
, which worked their way into church law and received preliminary codification in
Gratian's ''Decretum'', though later popes continued to adjust the terms of the privilege.
See also
*
Venetian Interdict
References
Catholic Church legal terminology
Latin legal terminology
Tribunals of the Catholic Church
Catholic procedural canon law
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