Editing Roman Republic (section)

===Legislative assemblies===
{{Main|Roman assemblies}}
[[File:Forum Romanum through Arch of Septimius Severus Forum Romanum Rome.jpg|thumb|The [[Roman Forum]], the commercial, cultural, religious, and political centre of the city and the Republic which housed the various offices and meeting places of the government]]

The legal status of Roman citizenship was limited and a vital prerequisite to possessing many important legal rights, such as the right to trial and appeal, marry, vote, hold office, enter binding contracts, and to special tax exemptions. An adult male citizen with the full complement of legal and political rights was called {{lang|la|optimo iure}} ({{lit|having the greatest rights}}). Citizens {{lang|la|optimo iure}} could participate in assemblies that elected magistrates, enacted legislation, presided over trials in capital cases, declared war and peace, and forged or dissolved treaties. Assemblies were called {{lang|la|comitia}}, in which all citizens {{lang|la|optimo jure}} could vote, and {{lang|la|concilia}} ({{singular}} {{lang|la|concilium}}), 'councils', for specific groups of citizens {{lang|la|optimo jure}}, e.g., the plebeians.{{sfn|Abbott|2001|p=251}}

Citizens {{lang|la|optimo jure}} were organised on the basis of and divided into centuries and [[Roman tribe|tribes]]. Each century or tribe cast a collective vote. The [[centuriate assembly]] ({{lang|la|comitia centuriata}}) was said to be traced from the Roman [[centuria|centuries]] of soldiers, and was usually presided over by a consul. The centuries voted, one at a time, until a measure received support from a majority. The centuriate assembly elected magistrates who had {{lang|la|imperium}} (consuls and praetors). It also elected censors. Only the centuriate assembly could declare war and ratify the results of a census.{{sfn|Abbott|2001|p=257}} It served as the highest court of appeal in certain judicial cases.

The [[tribal assembly]] ({{lang|la|comitia tributa}}) was presided over by a consul, and composed of 35 tribes. Once a measure received support from a majority of the tribes, voting ended. While it did not pass many laws, the tribal assembly did elect quaestors, [[curule]] [[aedile]]s, and military tribunes.{{sfn|Taylor|1966|p=7}} The [[plebeian council]] ({{lang|la|concilium plebis}}) was identical to the tribal assembly, but excluded the [[patricians]]. They elected their own officers, plebeian tribunes and plebeian aediles. Usually, a plebeian tribune would preside over the assembly. This assembly passed most laws and could act as a court of appeal.{{sfn|Abbott|2001|p=196}}