Judiciary of Sri Lanka

thumb|alt=Former Assizes, Northgate Street, Devizes|Devizes Assize Court, Northgate Street, [[Devizes, Wiltshire, England]] The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England (and Wales after 1832) until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes exercised both civil and criminal jurisdiction, though most of their work was on the criminal side. The assizes heard the most serious cases, most notably those subject to capital punishment or, later, life imprisonment.