oyez

also o·yes (ō'yĕs')
interj.
Used three times in succession to introduce the opening of a court of law.

n., pl., o·yes·ses (ō'yĕs'ĭz).
This cry, used to open a court.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman French hear ye, imperative pl. of oyer, to hear, from Latin audīre.]

WORD HISTORY   The courtroom cry "Oyez, oyez, oyez," has probably puzzled more than one auditor, especially if pronounced "O yes." (Many people have thought that the words were in fact O yes.) This cry serves to remind us that up until the 18th century, speaking English in a British court of law was not required and one could instead use Law French, a form of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Norman became the language of the official class in England. Oyez descends from the Anglo-Norman oyez, the plural imperative form of oyer, "to hear"; thus oyez means "hear ye" and was used as a call for silence and attention. Although it would have been much heard in Medieval England, it is first recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period, in a work composed around 1425.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

[French, Hear ye.] A word used in some courts by the public crier to indicate that a proclamation is about to be made and to command attention to it. Television and movies have made us familiar with the oath required of witnesses at trial, but many public offices require an oath to uphold the obligations and honor of that office. Here George W. Bush is sworn in as Governor of Texas by Texas Chief Justice Thomas Phillips. Ambiguous language and shifting mores make obscenity laws difficult to interpret, and to prosecute. Courts must decide if the goods and services offered by an establishment violate "contemporary community standards" or if they have "redeeming social value." There are many types of officers, and each has responsibilities and duties within the context of his office. This military officer, for example, would have no authority to arrest a civilian for speeding. In Olmstead v. United States the Supreme Court held that placing wire taps on the phone lines of suspects was a legitimate way to collect evidence; the decision was later overruled. In Olmstead several people were convicted of a conspiracy to violate the National Prohibition Act. No longer strictly a government functionary, today an ombudsperson may be employed by any type of organization or bureaucracy to hear complaints and resolve disputes. In Reynolds v. Sims, the Supreme Court held that the right of suffrage can be denied by diluting the weight of a citizen's vote just as effectively as by prohibiting the free exercise of it. In the Massachusetts trial of John Salvi III, accused of murdering two abortion clinic workers, prosecutor John Kivlan (pictured) noted in his opening statement that Salvi had been in possession of maps with abortion clinics highlighted. While not evidence in itself, the remark hinted at evidence to be presented during the trial. Is a so-called "handshake agreement" between parties enforceable as an oral contract? It depends on what is being agreed upon.

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