Legal Definitions - de medietate linguae

de medietate linguae

de medietate linguae is a term used in law to describe a jury that is made up of an equal number of native and foreign jurors. This type of jury was originally created by King Edward III for commercial cases where one party was a foreigner. Later, it was also used in criminal cases. If there were not enough foreign jurors available, the trial would proceed with the available number.

An example of de medietate linguae would be a trial where half of the jurors are American citizens and the other half are citizens of another country. Another example would be a trial where half of the jurors are fluent in English and the other half are not.

These examples illustrate the definition of de medietate linguae because they show how the jury is made up of an equal number of native and foreign jurors. This type of jury is used to ensure that both sides of the case are represented fairly and that there is no bias towards one side or the other.