open court

noun

: a court that anyone is allowed to attend
He testified in open court.

Examples of open court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The reports for Khalil, Öztürk, and the other students were admitted into evidence and shown in open court for the first time—up to that point, the government had never disclosed them, despite the students’ lawyers having asked for the reports and other relevant documents in litigation. Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 21 July 2025 Los Angeles misses Davis' interior defense, while Dallas could certainly use Doncic's handle and creativity in the open court right about now. Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025 Oklahoma City is better offensively and defensively, and those young legs would be a massive problem for the Dubs in the open court. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2025 The verdict was certainly a defeat for the prosecution and the victims who told their often terrifying stories in open court. Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for open court

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Cite this Entry

“Open court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open%20court. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.

Legal Definition

open court

noun
1
: a recorded judicial proceeding that is presided over by a judge and attended by the parties and their attorneys and that is convened for the purpose of conducting official business compare in camera
2
: a session of a court that is open to the public
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