cognitio extraordinaria

Cognitio extraordinaria was a stage in Roman legal procedure that operated during the post-Classical period. Unlike earlier systems, it placed significantly more power in the hands of the magistrate and the courts. The court itself issued summonses, and trials were conducted solely before the magistrate, who was also responsible for enforcing the sentence. This system also introduced a formal appeals process, marking a shift towards state involvement in justice administration, similar to modern European legal systems.1

Separately, crimen extraordinarium in Roman law referred to crimes that were considered extraordinary because their punishment was not predetermined by written law but was left to the judge's discretion.2