Nisi Prius Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Nisi Prius.

Nisi Prius (noun)

Definition: A Latin term often used to refer to the original trial court where a legal case was first heard. This includes the judge and the jury who initially reviewed the case. It can be translated to mean "unless before," indicating that it denotes the first court a case was presented to, regardless of where it is now. This is also known as the "court of original jurisdiction."