Parquet

From Wacklepedia - The Free Encyclopedia

The parquet in some countries, including France, is the prosecution service. The parquet g??al is the prosecution service of a cour d'appel or the Cour de Cassation.

The word literally means "wooden floor"; this is because, as opposed to the judges, who sit on an elevated platform during trials, the prosecution pleads standing on the floor.

This explains why the judges are sometimes referred to as "sitting magistrates" (magistrature assise) or "magistrates of the Seat" (magistrats du si?e) while the prosecutors are sometimes referred to as "standing magistrates" (magistrature debout).