Legal Definitions - advocation

Definition: Advocation is a legal term used in Scots law. It refers to the process of moving a criminal case from a lower court to the High Court of Justiciary for a verdict.

For example, if a person is charged with a serious crime like murder, the case may be initially heard in a lower court. However, if the defense or prosecution feels that the case requires a more serious verdict, they may request an advocation to move the case to the High Court of Justiciary.

Another example could be a case where the lower court has made an error in judgment or procedure, and the parties involved feel that the case needs to be heard again in a higher court.

These examples illustrate how advocation is used to ensure that criminal cases are heard and judged fairly, and that the appropriate verdict is reached.