In Roman law. Anclently a specles of commissiou granted by the eomitia to one or more persons for the pur-pose of inquiring into some crime or public offense and reporting thereon. In later tlmes. the qu (ratio came to exerclse plenary criminal jurisdiction, even to pronouncing sentence, and then was appointed periodical-ly, and eventually became a permanent corn-mission or regular criminal tribunal, and was then called “queeatio perpetual See Maine, Anc. Law, 369-372
Source: Black's Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
