Tribunal

A tribunal, in the broadest sense, is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes, and many government bodies adopt the title specifically to distinguish themselves from courts of law and to signal less formal procedure. The word descends from the tribunes of the Roman Republic and originally named the raised platform, the tribunal, from which a presiding magistrate sat, the elevated seat itself symbolizing judicial authority. A body need not be called a tribunal to function as one, since the term describes a quasi-judicial role rather than a formal title, so a single judge presiding over a case can equally be referred to by an advocate as a tribunal.