Franchise

(-chīz), n. [Fr., from franc, franche, free; Pr., Sp., & Pg. franqueza, It. franchezza. See FRANK.]

1. Exemption from constraint or oppression; freedom; liberty. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. (Law.) A particular privilege conferred by grant from a sovereign or a government, and vested in individuals; an immunity or exemption from ordinary jurisdiction.

Election by universal suffrage, as modified by the Constitution, is the one crowning franchise of the American people. W. H. Seward. 3. The district or jurisdiction to which a particular privilege extends; the limits of an immunity; hence, an asylum or sanctuary. Churches and monasteries in Spain are franchises for criminals.