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 The prosecution, without elaborating, raised an issue in open court involving Crumbley's jailhouse communications, though Crumbley's lawyer immediately objected to the issue being made public, and the judge also warned that the media would be writing about it. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024 Even though a doctor and nurse were criminally charged in relation to Serna’s death — and some of the videos were shown in open court — San Diego County lawyers have insisted the material remain sealed from public view. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024 The sheriff’s office statement about the restrictions comes after a prosecutor wanted to discuss an unspecified issue in open court Thursday. Selina Guevara, NBC News, 8 Mar. 2024 Prince Harry, who is breaking with royal tradition in this fight, becoming the first in the family to testify in open court in over a century, also has a pending case against British red top The Daily Mail. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024 Judge Cheryl Matthews denied the request ahead of trial, and Crumbley’s attorney did not renew the motion during jury selection in open court. Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 By avoiding a new trial, prosecutors said, the victims are spared of having to testify again in open court. Dan Morse, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 The formula was exceedingly simple, and executed to perfection, because good things happen around USC anytime JuJu Watkins has the basketball and open court in front of her. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 27 Jan. 2024 Toal stressed that the hearing, including the questioning of jurors, would be conducted in open court, with public and media access. Michael M. Dewitt, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'open court.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Open court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20court. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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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