I am absolutely certain that I've never heard of this word. From the paper:

Egypt's highest and most politically independent judicial body, the Court of
Cassation, overturned his conviction.

cassation: Abrogation or annulment by a higher authority

But I'll bet you've heard of its cousin quash.

The Wikipedia says the Cour de cassation in France is the court of last resort in France, which is equivalent to our supreme court. In both cases I prefer the court of last resort; it's so descriptive!

Yeah, but: As best I recall, Engligh isn't the official language of Egypt. So the official name of Eygyt's court must be an Arabic name, and "Court of Cassation" is just someone's tranlation of the Arabic name into English. I wonder why the translator, whoever he was, chose such an obscure English word.

Other countries in which courts of cassation exist. It seems to be a French term mainly, and Egypt's judicial system was inherited from Napoleon. Maybe, this translation was commonly used.

An article about the use of French in Egyptian government and culture. [Via this blog entry.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,

Interesting article, zmj. I came across this schizo cultural effect in the novels of Naguib Mahfouz, particularly the Cairo Trilogy. Daily life was colored by the power struggle between the English and Egyptian leaders; one's friends with money took themselves off to Paris for an education.