Legal Definitions - vicecomital

Vicecomital

The term vicecomital refers to anything that pertains to a sheriff or, historically, a viscount. In modern legal usage, it most commonly describes matters related to the office, duties, or authority of a sheriff.

• Imagine a situation where a court issues an order for a sheriff to seize assets from a debtor to satisfy a judgment. The document outlining this directive, and the subsequent actions taken by the sheriff to execute it, would be considered vicecomital in nature because they fall directly within the official powers and responsibilities of the sheriff's office.

• Consider a historical legal scholar researching old English common law. They might come across ancient charters or records detailing the "vicecomital powers" granted to a particular county sheriff centuries ago, such as the authority to raise a posse comitatus (a group of citizens assisting law enforcement) or to collect specific royal taxes. These powers are described as vicecomital because they are inherent to the sheriff's historical role.

• Suppose a local government is reviewing the historical boundaries of its jurisdiction. They might find old land deeds or legal agreements that reference "vicecomital rights" over certain public lands, indicating that the local sheriff historically held specific administrative or enforcement authority over those areas. This use of the term highlights the sheriff's traditional jurisdiction over a particular territory or type of property.