To preside in these courts there were six praetors; but, as there were more courts than praetors, a senator, called judex quaestionis, was appointed annually for each court where a president was wanting, something after the fashion by which one of our judges sometimes in press of business appoints a barrister as his deputy to clear off the cases.  The praetor, or judex quaestionis, presided over the judices in each court, and the judices returned a verdict by a majority of votes, sometimes given by ballot, sometimes openly.  In choosing these judices this was the process.  The whole number available was, it is said, 300, divided into three decuriae.  In any given case the praetor named the decuria from which the jurymen were to be taken, and then drew from an urn containing their names the number assigned by law for the case to be decided.  Each side could then challenge a certain number, and fresh names were drawn from the urn in place of those challenged.  What Sulla did was to supply these decuriae from the senators instead of the equites.

One of the permanent courts found by Sulla already existing was that of the Centumviri, who had jurisdiction over disputed inheritances.  The members of it were elected by the tribes, three by each tribe, 105 in all.  Though it was directly elected by the people, Sulla could apprehend no danger from such a court, and did not meddle with it.

[Sidenote:  Other measures attributed to Sulla.] Other measures are attributed to Sulla on evidence more or less probable, such as the suppression of gratuitous distributions of corn; the abolition of the right of freedmen to vote, and of the reserved seats appropriated to the equites at public festivals; the re-establishment in Asia of fixed taxes instead of the farming system; the extension of Italy proper from the Aesis to the Rubicon, and the conversion of Cisalpine Gaul into a province.  It may be considered certain that he did all that he could to humiliate the equites; but the settlement of Italy was probably not due to him.

[Sidenote:  His minor measures.] Other minor laws of which he was the author dealt with specific criminal offences or social matters.  One, as we have seen (p. 196) specified the penalties for all sorts of assassination and poisoning.  Another dealt with forgery, another with violence to the person or property, another with marriage and probably adultery.  Another was a sumptuary law, which is said to have limited the price of certain luxuries.  If this was the case it was even sillier than other sumptuary laws, for it would have encouraged instead of checking gluttony.  Lastly, there was a law for the settlement of his colonies through Italy, and at Aleria in Corsica.