COMMISSIONER

commissioner. 1. A person who directs a commission; a member of a commission. 2. The administrative head of an organization, such as a professional sport. 3. See judicial officer (3) under OFFICER. bail commissioner.See BAIL COMMISSIONER.Commissioner for Patents.The chief operating officer of the patents section of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. • The commissioner is appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.Commissioner for Trademarks.The chief operating officer of the trademarks section of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. • The commissioner is appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.commissioner in bankruptcy.English law. A commissioner who is appointed by the Lord Chancellor and em-powered to proceed in corporate-bankruptcy cases.commissioner of bail.See BAIL COMMISSIONER.commissioner of circuit court.A court-appointed officer who helps the circuit and district courts by performing judicial and ministerial functions. commissioner of deeds.An officer authorized by a state to take acknowledgments of deeds and other papers while residing in another state. • The acknowledgments are recognized in the state that licensed the commissioner. Cf. NOTARY PUBLIC. [Cases: Acknowledgment  14. C.J.S. Acknowledgments § 30.] commissioner of highways.A public officer responsible for overseeing the construction,alteration, and repair of highways. [Cases: Highways  93.] commissioner of partition.An equity-court-appointed officer who is empowered to examine a request for partition and recommend an action to the court, or to make the partition and report the act to the court.Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks.See DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE.commissioner of woods and forests.Hist. An officer who, by an 1817 Act of Parliament,assumed the jurisdiction of the Chief Justice of the Forest.county commissioner.A county officer charged usu. with the management of the county’s financial affairs, its police regulations, and its corporate business. — Also termed county supervisor. [Cases: Counties  38. C.J.S. Counties § 63.]court commissioner.An officer appointed by the court esp. to hear and report facts, or toconduct judicial sales. [Cases: Court Commissioners  1. C.J.S. Courts §§ 228–229.]jury commissioner.An officer responsible for drawing and summoning the panels of potential jurors in a given county. [Cases: Jury  59. C.J.S. Juries § 281.] public commissioner.See PROSECUTOR(1).town commissioner.A member of the board of administrative officers charged with managingthe town’s business. [Cases: Towns  26. C.J.S. Towns §§ 82–93.] United States Commissioner.Hist. A judicial officer appointed by a U.S. district court to hear a variety of pretrial matters in criminal cases. • Commissioners’ duties have been transferred to U.S. Magistrate Judges. Cf. UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE. [Blacks Law 8th]