Merriam-Webster’s Law Dictionary: Legal Terms in Plain English

Declaratory judgment A judge’s statement about someone’s rights. For example, a plaintiff may seek a declaratory judgment that a particular statute, as written, violates some constitutional right. Creditor A person to whom or business to which the debtor owes money or that claims to be owed money by the debtor. Read more about law terminologies here. Common law The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States, which relies on the articulation of legal principles in a historical succession of judicial decisions. Common law principles can be changed by legislation. Claim A creditor’s assertion of a right to payment from a debtor or the debtor’s property.

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Acquittal A jury verdict that a criminal defendant is not guilty, or the finding of a judge that the evidence is insufficient to support a conviction. Any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority of the state or nation, as by the people in its constitution.

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Any appeal of the order would bring the debate over online speech before the Supreme Court, which is already expected to take up conflicting appeals court rulings over state social media laws this year. Trade secrecy clauses in federal law mean this flow of gear, weapons and ammunition is almost never revealed to the public. While laws vary in the 50 states, each of those jurisdictions will have to make some sort of decision about whether Trump is disqualified under Section 3. The courts exist to uphold, interpret, and apply the law. Canon suggests in nonreligious use a principle or rule of behavior or procedure commonly accepted as a valid guide.

This resource can be invaluable in helping you determine a specific court’s interpretation of a legal term. This best-selling dictionary is an authoritative and comprehensive source of jargon-free legal information. It contains over 4,200 entries that clearly define the major terms, concepts, processes, and the organization of the English legal system.

Active judge A judge in the full-time service of the court. Law implies imposition by a sovereign authority and the obligation of obedience on the part of all subject to that authority. The collection of rules according to which people live or a country etc is governed. The state or practice of being a squatter, or one who settles on government land, thereby establishing ownership. The writer of a complete code of the laws of a country. The practice of religious legalism, especially the basing of standards of good actions upon the moral law. Language typical of lawyers, laws, legal forms, etc., characterized by archaic usage, prolixity, redundancy and extreme thoroughness.