Star Chamber

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

Star′ Cham′ber, 

1. Law a former court of inquisitorial and criminal jurisdiction in England that sat without a jury and that became noted for its arbitrary methods and severe punishments, abolished 1641.
2. Law any tribunal, committee, or the like, which proceeds by arbitrary or unfair methods.
• Middle English 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Star Chamber noun

1. the Privy Council sitting as a court of equity, esp powerful under the Tudor monarchs; abolished 1641
2. (sometimes not capitals) any arbitrary tribunal dispensing summary justice
3. (sometimes not capitals) (in Britain, in a Conservative government) a group of senior ministers who make the final decision on the public spending of each government department