Legal Definitions - prorogatio de loco in locum

Prorogatio de loco in locum is a historical legal concept referring to the extension or transfer of a court'sjurisdiction or the physical location of a legal proceeding from one place to another. This typically occurred when a court's authority needed to be exercised in a different geographical area than its usual seat, or when a case needed to be heard in a different venue for practical, administrative, or fairness reasons.

• Medieval Royal Court on Circuit:

  Scenario: In medieval England, the King's Bench court typically sat permanently in Westminster. However, if a serious rebellion or a complex land dispute arose in a distant county, the King might command a delegation of judges from the King's Bench to travel to that county to hold court and resolve the matter on-site.

  Explanation: This illustrates prorogatio de loco in locum because the jurisdiction of the King's Bench, usually fixed in Westminster, was extended or "prorogued" to a new, temporary location in the distant county to address a specific legal issue directly where it occurred.

• Colonial Administration of Justice:

  Scenario: During the era of colonial empires, a high court established in the capital city of a colony might occasionally dispatch a circuit judge or a special commission to a remote frontier settlement to administer justice for serious crimes or disputes that arose there, rather than requiring all parties to travel to the distant capital.

  Explanation: Here, the authority of the central colonial court was effectively moved or extended ("prorogued") from its permanent seat in the capital to a temporary location in the frontier settlement, allowing legal proceedings to occur where they were most needed and accessible to the local population.

• Special Inquiry Commission:

  Scenario: Imagine a historical instance where a government established a special judicial commission to investigate a major public scandal or disaster that occurred in a specific town, far from the national capital. While the commission's authority was granted by the central government, its actual hearings, evidence collection, and deliberations were conducted entirely within that town or a nearby regional center.

  Explanation: This demonstrates prorogatio de loco in locum because the legal investigative authority, though originating centrally, was physically transferred and exercised in a specific, localized venue to effectively conduct the inquiry and gather firsthand information.