open court

noun

: a court that anyone is allowed to attend
He testified in open court.

Examples of open court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instead, Alcaraz floated the ball over the net post into the open court. Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025 Over the government’s objections, a statement from Hegseth from that same morning, during the deployment of troops in D.C. was played in open court. Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2025 Ramirez still has two open court cases in Orange County, records show. Sean Emery, Oc Register, 21 July 2025 The verdict was certainly a defeat for the prosecution and the victims who told their often terrifying stories in open court. Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for open court

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“Open court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20court. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Legal Definition

open court

noun
1
: a recorded judicial proceeding that is presided over by a judge and attended by the parties and their attorneys and that is convened for the purpose of conducting official business compare in camera
2
: a session of a court that is open to the public
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