Puisne

Puisne (/ˈpjuːni/; from Old French puisné, modern puîné, "later born, younger" (and thence, "inferior") from Latin postea, "afterwards", and natus, "born") is a legal term of art used mainly in British English^[1] meaning "inferior in rank". The word puisne, in the anglicized spelling puny, has also become an adjective meaning "weak or undersized".^[2]

The judges and barons of the common law courts at Westminster, other than those having a distinct title, were called puisne. By the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1877, a "puisne judge" is deemed a judge of the High Court other than the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice of England, the Master of the Rolls, the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and their successors respectively.^[3]

Puisne courts existed as lower courts in the early stages in the judiciary in British North America, in particular Upper Canada and Lower Canada. The justices of the Supreme Court of Canada other than the Chief Justice are still referred to as puisne justices.

See also

Look up puisne in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Puisne Justice – the title of a judge, other than the chief justice, of a superior court of a common law jurisdiction

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Puisne". Encyclopædia Britannica. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 640.