Glossary
This glossary may be used to find the definitions of many legal terms.
In many instances, there are synonyms and plain language options provided for the terms.
You may search within this glossary:
- by entering a term in the “Keyword Search” field.
- by choosing a “Type” from the drop-down list such as “Estate” or “Small Claims.”
- by choosing the beginning letter in the “Filter by Letter” drop-down list to display only the terms that start with that letter.
A combination of these search options can be used to provide a more defined result.
Note that this glossary may not contain all legal terms.
| Term | Definition | Plain Language | Synonyms | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holographic will | A will that is completely handwritten, dated and signed by the person making it. Holographic wills are generally not witnessed and may be in the form of a letter. | Handwritten will | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Home confinement | A special condition the court imposes that requires an individual to remain at home except for certain approved activities such as work and medical appointments. | House arrest | General Terms | ||
| Home equity | The current market value of a house minus how much is owed on it. A home equity loan borrows against this amount. | General Terms | |||
| Home study | An investigation of prospective adoptive parents to make sure they are fit to raise a child. The study will look at the parents' financial stability, marital stability, lifestyles and other social factors, physical and mental health, and criminal history. | investigation | General Terms | ||
| Homestead | 1. The house where a family lives, plus any adjoining land and other buildings on that land. 2. Real estate that is not subject to the claims of creditors as long as it is occupied as a home by the head of the household. | home | Your home, residence | General Terms | |
| Homestead exemption | 1. A law that says you do not have to pay all, or any, of your property taxes calculated on your circumstances . 2. A legal protection of a person's home from seizure from creditors. This amount of protection varies by state. | General Terms | |||
| Hometowned | Slang for a lawyer or client suffering discrimination by a judge who favors locals over out-of-towners. | discrimination | Bias, discrimination | General Terms | |
| Homicide by misadventure | Death that occurs as the result of an accident caused by a person doing a lawful act with no unlawful intent. | accidental death | General Terms | ||
| Honorary trust | A trust created for a purpose that is not charitable and does not name a specific beneficiary. | General Terms | |||
| Hostile environment harassment | Workplace discrimination consisting of unwelcome, offensive and repeated conduct, such as comments, jokes, or acts, related to the victim's legally protected classification (as race, religion, ethnic origin, or age) that interfere with the victim's work performance or create a hostile work environment. | General Terms | |||
| Hostile witness | A witness called by one side, but whose interests lie with the other party, or a reluctant witness who appears unwilling in response to subpoena. | A witness for the other side | Opposing witness | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Hot pursuit | An exception to the general rule that police officers need an arrest warrant before they can enter a home to make an arrest. If a felony has just occurred and an officer has chased a suspect to a private house, the officer can forcefully enter the house in order to prevent the suspect from escaping or hiding or destroying evidence. | continue to chase | General Terms | ||
| Household | People living together in one dwelling, who may or may not be related. | people living together | General Terms | ||
| Household member | A person who lives in the same home. | General Terms | |||
| Human trafficking | Recruiting, transporting, taking or keeping people for some profit, including forced labor or sexual exploitation. | forced prostitution, forced labor | General Terms | ||
| Hung jury | The jury cannot agree on a decision, so a defendant is not found guilty. Usually it means the defendant has to go through another trial unless the parties settle the case (in a civil case) or the prosecution dismisses the charges or offers a plea bargain (in a criminal case). | deadlocked | General Terms | ||
| Hypothecate | To pledge property as collateral for a debt. | pledge collateral | pledge, deposit, mortgage | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| I think | In (on) the bench; the entire membership of an appellate court, as opposed to a mere quorum of its sitting judges. | General Terms, Court Reporting | |||
| i.e. (id est) | (always Italicized) that is example: "Don't do that any more; i.e., stop clicking your pen during meetings!" | in other words | in other words, specifically | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| ICE | An abbreviation for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. | General Terms | |||
| Iddah/iddat | Muslim law: The period a woman must observe after the death of her husband or after a divorce, during which she may not marry another man. | General Terms | |||
| Identity theft | The stealing, taking, or using another person's personal identifying information for the purpose of fraud or other criminal activity. | General Terms | |||
| IEP | Stands for "individualized education program." An IEP is designed to meet the exceptional educational needs of public school students that are eligible for special education services. | education plan | General Terms | ||
| Ignorance of the law | Not knowing about or understanding a law is not an adequate defense. Often cited in Latin, "Ignorantia Juris Non Excusa." | General Terms | |||
| Illegal | Against or not authorized by the law. Also called illicit or unlawful. | against the law | Criminal, against the law, unlawful | General Terms | |
| Illicit | Unlawful or prohibited. For example, the laws may make it a crime to engage in "illicit trade" or possess "illicit drugs." | not legal | not legal, forbidden | General Terms | |
| Illusory promise | A promise that pledges nothing, because it is vague or because the promisor can choose whether or not to honor it. Such promises do not create contracts and are not legally binding. | General Terms | |||
| Immaterial | A common objection to introducing evidence in a trial, claiming that the evidence is of little importance to the issues of the case. | unimportant | Irrelevant, trivial, unimportant | General Terms | |
| Immovable | Land and fixtures thereto, civil law term. Things that cannot be moved. | cannot be moved | General Terms | ||
| Immunity | An exemption that a person enjoys from the normal operation of the law such as a legal duty or liability, either criminal or civil. There are four types of legal immunity: 1. a promise not to prosecute for a crime in exchange for information or testimony in a criminal case granted by the prosecutors, a judge, a grand jury, or an investigating legislative committee 2. public officials' protection from liability for their decisions (like a city manager or member of a public hospital board) 3. governmental immunity, which protects public agencies from lawsuits unless the government agreed to be sued 4. diplomatic immunity, which excuses foreign ambassadors from most U.S. criminal laws. | protection | privilege, exemption, protection, release | General Terms | |
| Immunity from prosecution | When a prosecutor waives the right to prosecute in exchange for information or testimony. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide | |||
| Impaired | Having decreased judgment and physical ability, usually describes a person's ability to drive under the influence of alcohol. | limited | Drunk or stoned. Intoxicated | General Terms | |
| Impaneling | The act of selecting a jury from a list of potential jurors. | jury selection | General Terms | ||
| Impeached | Testimony contradicted with sufficient proof as to affect a witness's credibility. When a lawyer proves that a witness lied or should not be believed. | discredit a witness | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Impeachment of witness | An attack on the credibility of a witness by other evidence or the testimony of other witnesses. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Implement | Carry out, follow. | Carry out | Enforce, start, put into action | General Terms | |
| Implied undertaking rule | The rule that says a party can only use the papers you get in a lawsuit for that lawsuit. You cannot use the papers for other reasons. | General Terms | |||
| Implied warranty of habitability | A legal rule that requires landlords to keep their rental units fit for people to live in, including running water, heating, sanitary conditions, etc. | General Terms | |||
| Impute | To attach or ascribe, for example, a family court judge may impute income to a spouse who refuses to work. | assign | attach responsibility, assign | General Terms | |
| In absentia | In the absence of; example, the military junta sentenced him in absentia, as he had fled. | Not present | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| In camera | Hearing or discussion that takes place in the judge's office or in a court with all spectators (including the jury) excluded. From the Latin for "in chamber." | in chambers | In private, in chambers | General Terms | |
| In camera indicia | In a room; in chambers, in private signs; identifying marks or characteristics. | in chambers | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| In defense of life | A justification for self-defense. | Self-defense | General Terms | ||
| In extremis | Facing imminent death. A situation that could end up with someone's death. In an extreme situation. | close to death | General Terms | ||
| In forma pauperis | A Latin phrase meaning permission given by a court to allow a person to file a case without paying the required court fees because the person cannot afford to pay them. | without the ability to pay | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| In lieu of | Instead of. | Rather than | Instead of | General Terms | |
| In limine | On the threshold; immediately before at the beginning a case. | at the start | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| In loco parentis | In the place of a parent, a guardian, someone granted parental Responsibilities over a minor. | in the place of a parent | Guardian | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| In medias res | In the middle of things; without a preface or introduction, right in the middle. | in the middle | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| In personam | On the person; action or jurisdiction involving a person himself herself, as opposed to merely his or her property. Where a court has the authority to tell someone what to do. | against a person | General Terms, Court Reporting |