| Terms |
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pro tempore
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temporary.
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hearsay
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unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one's direct knowledge:
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appellate
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of or pertaining to appeals.
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interrogatories
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a formal or written question.
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in camera
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a judge's private office.
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acquittal
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the act of acquitting; discharge.
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equitable
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characterized by equity or fairness; just and right; fair; reasonable:
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information
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an official criminal charge presented, usually by the prosecuting officers of the state, without the interposition of a grand jury.
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inculpatory
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to involve in a charge; incriminate.
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liquidation
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the process of converting securities or commodities into cash.
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indictment
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a formal accusation initiating a criminal case, presented by a grand jury and usually required for felonies and other serious crimes
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impeachment
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demonstration that a witness is less worthy of belief.
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parity
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equality, as in amount, status, or character.
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means test
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an investigation into the financial position of a person applying for aid from public funds.
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discharge
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a relieving or being relieved of obligation or liability; fulfillment of an obligation.
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appellee
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the defendant or respondent in an appellate proceeding.
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de jure
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by right; according to law (
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amnesty
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a general pardon for offenses, esp. political offenses, against a government, often granted before any trial or conviction.
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arbitration
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the hearing and determining of a dispute or the settling of differences between parties by a person or persons chosen or agreed to by them:
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affidavit
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a written declaration upon oath made before an authorized official.
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implied consent
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a manifestation of consent to something through conduct, including inaction or silence.
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insider
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a person in possession of corporate information not generally available to the public, as a director, an accountant, or other officer or employee of a corporation.
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de novo
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anew; afresh; again; from the beginning.
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jurisdiction
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the right, power, or authority to administer justice by hearing and determining controversies.
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equity
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the monetary value of a property or business beyond any amounts owed on it in mortgages, claims, liens, etc.
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opinion
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the formal statement by a judge or court of the reasoning and the principles of law used in reaching a decision of a case.
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felony
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an offense, as murder or burglary, of graver character than those called misdemeanors, esp. those commonly punished in the U.S. by imprisonment for more than a year.
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class action
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a legal proceeding in which persons representing interests common to a large group participate as representatives of the group or class.
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sanction
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a provision of a law enacting a penalty for disobedience or a reward for obedience.
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prosecute
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to institute and carry on a legal prosecution.
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continuance
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adjournment of a step in a proceeding to a future day.
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tort
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a wrongful act, not including a breach of contract or trust, that results in injury to another's person, property, reputation, or the like
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declaratory judgment
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a judgment that merely decides the rights of parties in a given transaction, situation, or dispute but does not order any action or award damages.
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due process
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the regular administration of the law, according to which no citizen may be denied his or her legal rights and all laws must conform to fundamental, accepted legal principles, as the right of the accused to confront his or her accusers.
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toll
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to suspend or interrupt (as a statute of limitations).
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writ
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a formal order under seal, issued in the name of a sovereign, government, court, or other competent authority, enjoining the officer or other person to whom it is issued or addressed to do or refrain from some specified act.
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bail
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property or money given as surety that a person released from custody will return at an appointed time.
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magistrate
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a minor judicial officer, as a justice of the peace or the judge of a police court, having jurisdiction to try minor criminal cases and to conduct preliminary examinations of persons charged with serious crimes.
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motion
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an application made to a court or judge for an order, ruling, or the like.
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court reporter
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a stenographer employed to record and transcribe an official verbatim record of the legal proceedings of a court.
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pendente lite
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during litigation; while a suit is in progress.
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plea
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an allegation made by a party to a legal suit, in support of his or her claim or defense; a defendant's answer to a legal declaration or charge
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public defender
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a lawyer appointed or elected by a city or county as a full-time, official defender to represent indigents in criminal cases at public expense.
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lien
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the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation.
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mandamus
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a writ from a superior court to an inferior court or to an officer, corporation, etc., commanding that a specified thing be done.
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amicus curiae
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a person, not a party to the litigation, who volunteers or is invited by the court to give advice upon some matter pending before it.
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petit jury
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(in a civil or criminal proceeding) a jury, usually of 12 persons, impaneled to determine the facts and render a verdict pursuant to the court's instructions on the law.
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in propria persona
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represented by oneself and not by an attorney.
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change of venue
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the removal of a trial to another jurisdiction.
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writ of certiorari
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a writ issuing from a superior court calling up the record of a proceeding in an inferior court for review.
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creditor
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a person or firm to whom money is due (
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grand jury
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a jury, at common law, of 12 to 23 persons, designated to inquire into alleged violations of the law in order to ascertain whether the evidence is sufficient to warrant trial.
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