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sheriff |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
sheriffIn the U.S., the chief law-enforcement officer for the courts in a county. He is ordinarily elected, and he may appoint a deputy. The sheriff and his deputy have the power of police officers to enforce criminal law and may summon private citizens (the posse comitatus, or “force of the county”) to help maintain the peace. The main judicial duty of the sheriff is to execute processes and writs of the courts. Officers of this name also exist in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. In England the office of sheriff existed before the Norman Conquest (1066). sheriff 1. (in the US) the chief law-enforcement officer in a county: popularly elected, except in Rhode Island 2. (in England and Wales) the chief executive officer of the Crown in a county, having chiefly ceremonial duties 3. (in Scotland) a judge in any of the sheriff courts 4. (in Australia) an administrative officer of the Supreme Court, who enforces judgments and the execution of writs, empanels juries, etc. 5. (in New Zealand) an officer of the High Court How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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These forests were guarded by the King's Foresters, the chief of whom, in each wood, was no mean man but equal in authority to the Sheriff in his walled town, or even to my lord Bishop in his abbey. it is, I declare, a commission, appointing Richard Jones, Esquire, sheriff of the county. A STATESMAN who had been indicted by an unfeeling Grand Jury was arrested by a Sheriff and thrown into jail. |
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