Diocesan Court Law and Legal Definition
Diocesan court is a court exercising general or limited jurisdiction of matters arising within a bishop’s diocese. It is comprised of a judicial vicar and two judges who act as a panel. All judges of diocesan court are normally priests with doctorates, or at least with a master's degree in Canon Law. In large dioceses, there may be a number of vice-officials who preside over several panels of judges. The limited jurisdiction of the diocesan court is determined by patent, local custom, or legislation. It includes consistorial court, the courts of the commissaries, and the court of archdeacons.
