Dedimus potestatem

In law, dedimus potestatem (Latin for "we have given the power") is a written whereby commission is given to one or more private persons for the expedition of some act normally performed by a judge. It is also called delegatio. It is granted most commonly upon the suggestion that a party, who is to do something before a judge or in a court, is too weak to travel.

Its use is various, such as to take a personal answer to a bill in chancery, to examine witnesses, levy a fine, etc.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "^{article name needed}". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (first ed.). James and John Knapton, et al. 
• "dedimus". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)