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Andrei Posted 22 years ago
Grammar

In courts or in the courts

1.The car industry will challenge the decision made by some Californian administrators in courts.

2. The car industry will challenge the decision made by some Californian administrators in the courts.


The story related about pollution in California. They are talking about introducing some addtional measures to restrict exhust gas from vehicles.

My question is whether to use 'in courts' or 'in the courts'.

Please tell me.
  

Top answer

Try, The car industry will challenge California's decision in the courts. (Plural: State and National) The car industry will challenge California's decision in court. (Singular: State or National) Cheers

  • Try, The car industry will challenge California's decision in the courts.
  • (Plural: State and National) The car industry will challenge California's decision in court.
  • (Singular: State or National) Cheers
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5 Answers
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Try,

The car industry will challenge California's decision in the courts. (Plural: State and National)
The car industry will challenge California's decision in court. (Singular: State or National)

Cheers
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Thanks Casi

Let us look at the sentences without referring to California.


1. The car industry will challenge the government's decision in the courts.


2.The car industry will challenge the government's decision in courts.

When I say government, it can be any government in any country. The reason for me to ask more on this is I feel a court is not
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'In the courts' is the appropriate usage, Andrei. The idiomatic phrase refers to the judicial system in general.
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Mister, thanks for the reply

If there is a general issue in your society, and people wants argue or challange the legality, you would do it in courts. I think it would be wrong to say in the courts. I feel, if their is a one particular place or building exists as the building of courts, it would be fine to say 'in the courts'.
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Andrei,

Mister Micawber is correct. Note that he mentioned that "in the courts" is an idiomatic phrase or expression. Thus, it is what it is.

Besides, often when you begin to challenge something, you will often engage more than one court. There might be civil and criminal aspects. Or different courts will have different jurisdictions. For example, one might be state and

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