Legislative part

Assizes are held in Paris and in each département. In Corsica, assizes are held in Ajaccio and Bastia. Assizes are held in Strasbourg and Colmar. .

The court of appeal may, on the application of the public prosecutor, order that as many assize divisions be formed as the needs of the service require.

In the départements where a court of appeal sits the assises are ordinarily held at the chief town of that court. In other départements, assises are ordinarily held at the chief town of these constituencies. Exceptionally, a decree of the Conseil d’Etat may fix the seat of the assize court in another town of the department where there is a judicial court.

Where the chief town of the department in which the assizes are held is not the seat of a judicial court, the judicial court referred to in articles 242,251,261-1,262,263,265,266,270,271 and 289 is that in whose jurisdiction the assizes are held.

The Court of Appeal may, on the application of the Public Prosecutor, order by reasoned judgment that the assizes shall be held at the seat of a court other than the one at which they are usually held. The judgment shall be brought to the attention of the courts concerned by the Public Prosecutor.

The date of the opening of the sessions of the Assize Court shall be fixed whenever necessary, on the proposal of the Public Prosecutor, by the First President of the Court of Appeal or, in the case provided for in Article 235, by the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

On a proposal from the public prosecutor, the roll for each session is drawn up by the president of the assize court or, at the request of the public prosecutor, by the first president of the court of appeal.

The public prosecutor notifies the accused of the date on which he must appear.