court of chancery
court of chancery — 慣用語
1. a former English court that dealt with cases where the ordinary common law could
衡平法院
英國歷史上處理衡平法案件的專門法院
a former English court that dealt with cases where the ordinary common law could not provide a fair outcome, focusing on principles of fairness and moral justice rather than strict legal rules
In 1845, merchant Adina brought a contract dispute to the Court of Chancery.
1845 年，商人 Adina 將一件合約糾紛帶到衡平法院。
historical context: the court handled cases where common law offered no remedy
The Court of Chancery could order someone to keep a promise, a power that ordinary courts lacked.
衡平法院可以命令某人履行承諾，這是普通法法院沒有的權力。
distinctive remedy: specific performance
After 1873, the Court of Chancery was merged into the High Court of Justice in London.
1873 年之後，衡平法院被併入倫敦的高等法院。
Dewi waited three years for the Court of Chancery to settle the land dispute.
Dewi 等了三年，衡平法院才解決那件土地糾紛。
- court of equity
broader term that can refer to any equity court, not just the English historical one
用法筆記
Strictly refers to the English court system before 1875. After the Judicature Acts, equity and common law were administered together by the High Court of Justice. In modern American usage, some states have a 'chancery court' or 'court of equity', but the historical English Court of Chancery is a specific institution.