Legal Definitions - et de ceo se mettent en le pays

The phrase et de ceo se mettent en le pays is an old Law French term that literally translates to "and of this they put themselves upon the country." In historical legal practice, "the country" referred to a jury, which was understood to represent the local community or common people. Therefore, this phrase signifies the act of submitting a factual dispute in a legal case to a jury for their decision. It means that the parties involved are asking a jury to hear the evidence, weigh the facts, and determine the truth of the matter.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a modern criminal trial where a defendant is accused of a serious crime. After pleading "not guilty," the defendant exercises their right to a jury trial instead of having a judge decide the facts. By choosing to present their defense and the prosecution's case to a panel of citizens, the defendant is, in essence, saying et de ceo se mettent en le pays. They are submitting the crucial question of their guilt or innocence, based on the evidence, to the judgment of the jury.

• Consider a civil lawsuit between two individuals disputing the terms of a verbal agreement. One party claims a specific promise was made regarding payment, while the other denies it. If they cannot reach a settlement, they may proceed to trial where both sides present witnesses and evidence to a jury. In this scenario, both parties are et de ceo se mettent en le pays, entrusting the jury with the responsibility to evaluate the conflicting accounts and determine what promises, if any, were actually made and breached.

• Historically, in a dispute over property boundaries between two landowners, if deeds were unclear or conflicting, the court might call upon a jury of local residents who were familiar with the land and its history. These jurors would hear testimony and offer their collective knowledge to establish the true boundaries. This act of deferring the factual determination to the local community's representatives was a direct application of the principle embodied in et de ceo se mettent en le pays.