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The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court of law which sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late 15th century to the mid-17th century (ca. 1641), and was composed of Privy Councillors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the common-law and equity courts in civil and criminal matters. The Star Chamber was established to ensure the fair enforcement of laws against socially and politically prominent people so powerful that ordinary courts would likely hesitate to convict them of their crimes. Court sessions were held in public, although witnesses and defendants were examined in secret. Defendants were given prior notice of the charges against them, and had the right to be represented by an attorney. Evidence was presented in writing. Over time, the Star Chamber evolved into a political weapon, a symbol of the misuse and abuse of power by the English monarchy and its courts. In modern usage, legal or administrative bodies with strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive proceedings are sometimes called, metaphorically or poetically, ''star chambers''. This is a pejorative term and intended to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the proceedings. 'Star Chamber' can also be used in its original meaning, for instance when a politician uses parliamentary privilege to attack a powerful organisation or person. The inherent lack of objectivity of politically-motivated charges has led to substantial reforms in English law in most jurisdictions since the 17th century. == Origin of the name == The first reference to the "star chamber" is in 1398, as the ''Sterred chambre''; the more common form of the name appears in 1422 as ''le Sterne-chamere''. Both forms recur throughout the fifteenth century, with ''Sterred Chambre'' last attested as appearing in the Supremacy of the Crown Act 1534. The origin of the name has usually been explained as first recorded by John Stow, writing in his ''Survey of London'' (1598), who noted 'this place is called the Star Chamber, at the first all the roofe thereof was decked with images of starres gilted',〔Lord Denning, ''Landmarks in the Law'' (1984), p 61–62.〕〔"Star-chamber, starred chamber"; ''Oxford English Dictionary'', second edition. Oxford University Press, 1989.〕 Gold stars on a blue background were a common medieval decoration for ceilings in richly decorated rooms, as still to be seen at Leasowe Castle, Wirral, the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, and elsewhere. Alternatively, and not very plausibly, William Blackstone, a notable English jurist writing in 1769, speculated that the name may have derived from the legal word "starr" meaning the contract or obligation to a Jew (from the Hebrew שטר (''shetar'') meaning 'document'). This term was in use until 1290, when Edward I had all Jews expelled from England. Blackstone thought the 'Starr Chamber' might originally have been used for the deposition and storage of such contracts.〔''Commentaries on the Laws of England'', Book Four, Chapter Nineteen. (Online text )〕 However, the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives this etymology "no claim to consideration".〔 Other etymological theories mentioned by Blackstone on the use of star include the derivation from ''steoran'' (steer) meaning "to govern", it was a court used to punish (''crimen stellionatus'') (cozenage) or the chamber was full of windows.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Star Chamber」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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