The Court of Claims was a U.S. federal court established in 1855 that adjudicated monetary claims against the government, based on contracts, express or implied, or claims referred by Congress. The first claim the court heard involved veterans of the Mexican-American War.
Congress abolished the Court of Claims in 1982. Trial level cases were moved to the United States Court of Federal Claims and appellate cases were moved to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Both of these courts sit in Washington, DC. Some states also have a court of claims.
[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]