Legal Definitions - summa potestas

SUMMA POTESTAS

Summa potestas (pronounced suh-muh poh-tes-tuhs) is a Latin term that means the highest or ultimate power in a government.

Examples of summa potestas include:

• A monarch who has complete control over a country's laws and policies.
• A dictator who has absolute authority over a nation's military and economy.
• A supreme court that has the final say in interpreting a country's constitution.

Summa potestas refers to the highest level of power in a government. This can be held by a single person, such as a monarch or dictator, or by a group of people, such as a supreme court. In all cases, the entity with summa potestas has the final say in making decisions and enforcing laws. This term is often used in discussions of political systems and the distribution of power within them.