Floor
A Dictionary of Law · Henry Campbell Black · 1891
A Dictionary of Law
A section ofa building between horizontal planes.
145 Mass. 1, 12 N. E. Rep. 401.
A term used metaphorically, in parliamentary practice, to denote the exclusive right to address the body in session. A member who has been recognized by the chairmuan, and who is in order, is said to “have the floor,” until his remarks are concluded. Similarly, the “floor of the house” means the main part of the hall where the members sit, as distinguished from the galleries, or from the corridors or lobbies. In England, the floor of a court is that part bet ween the judge’s bench and the front row of counsel. Litigants appearing in person, in the high court or court of appeal, are supposed to address the court from the floor.