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Legal Terms Glossary
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Subpoena
A writ ordering a person to attend a court.
Common Law
A legal system characterized by case law, which is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals.
Due Process
The legal requirement that the state must respect all the legal rights that are owed to a person and balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it.
Defendant
An individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.
Legal Realism
A theory of law that advocates a less abstract and more realistic and pragmatic approach to the law, an approach that predicts outcomes based on the actions of public officials.
Injunction
An authoritative warning or order that forbids a party from performing a certain action.
Sovereignty
The full right and power of a governing body to govern itself without any interference from outside sources or bodies.
Damages
Monetary compensation that is ordered by courts to be paid to a person who has suffered loss or injury.
Indictment
A formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.
Plaintiff
A person who brings a case against another in a court of law.
Appellate
Having the power to review the judgment of another tribunal or court.
Equity
A branch of law that is developed alongside common law in order to remedy some of its defects in fairness and justice, which occurred when the strict procedural requirements of common law would prevent a just outcome.
Burden of Proof
The obligation to prove one's assertion in a court of law; in criminal cases, the burden is on the prosecutor, whereas in civil cases, the burden is typically on the plaintiff.
Civil Law
A legal system inspired by Roman law, the primary feature of which is that laws are written into a collection, codified, and not determined by judges.
Negligence
A failure to behave with the level of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances.
Precedent
A principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts.
Legal Duty
An obligation established by law, contract, or as a result of a wrongful act, to act or refrain from acting in a certain way.
Legal Positivism
A philosophy of law that emphasizes the conventional nature of law—that it is socially constructed; according to legal positivism, law is synonymous with positive norms, that is, norms made by the legislator.
Habeas Corpus
A legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment.
Legislation
Laws, considered collectively, that have been promulgated by a government body.
Mediation
A form of alternative dispute resolution in which a neutral third party assists the disputing parties to reach a mutually satisfactory and agreed upon decision.
Testimony
A formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law.
Stare Decisis
The legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent.
Litigation
The process of taking legal action; the process of suing someone, or trying someone for a crime.
Statute of Limitations
A law which sets the maximum period which one can wait before filing a lawsuit, depending on the type of case or claim.
Natural Law
The legal theory that posits the existence of a law whose content is set by nature and that therefore has validity everywhere.
Jurisdiction
The official power to make legal decisions and judgments, often in a specific area or on a specific issue.
Legal Capacity
The ability of any legal entity to amend (enter into, transfer, etc.) legal rights and obligations.
Jurisprudence
The study of the theory and philosophy of law.
Tort
A wrongful act or infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability.
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