Re: Handing Up . . . Handing Down Indictments Phrase
CDobyns wrote:I've frequently heard the phrase about how various legal process documents and charges are somewhat euphemistically referred to as being "handed down" or "handed up". The most recent one I heard is where a grand jury handed up various indictments, but I've also heard the converse, where some other type of finding or legal process document was handed down.
I think (and I may be wrong on this) that "handing down" an indictment is the American usage, whereas "handing up" an indictment is British.
CDobyns wrote:Does that phrase originate from sort of literal or actual juxtaposition of a judge or magistrate sitting up "higher" (or lower in the case of a jury) and the workflow of documents in the legal system and how they pass from one part of the legal process to another?
That's an interesting theory. I don't know. In the US, a grand jury hands down an indictment, not a judge.
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