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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In pro per.(in propria persona) | For oneself; pleading a case on one's own behalf without an attorney. Also known as pro se or self-represented. | represents themselves | Pro se, for one's self, without a lawyer | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| In re | In the thing; in the matter of, particularly when there is only one party. A title in a court paper telling you who or what the case is about. | in regard to | About, title, in regard to | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| In rem | On the thing; action brought against property, such as a chip, rather against its own owner. Where a court has the authority to make a decision about property. | against a thing | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| In the event that | If | if | General Terms | ||
| In the interest of | For | for | General Terms | ||
| In the matter of | see In re; in the matter of, particularly when there is only one party. A title in a court paper telling you who or what the case is about. | in regard to | General Terms | ||
| In toto | in all; entirely, completed. | all | Everything, entirely, completely, all | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| In-person service | Delivery of legal documents by having them handed to someone by an authorized person like a sheriff, constable, or process server. | personal service | Personal service | General Terms | |
| Inadmissible | That which, under the established rules of evidence, cannot be admitted or received. | not allowed | Immaterial, improper, inappropriate, unacceptable | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Inadmissible evidence | Testimony or other evidence that does not comply with the legal rules about the types of evidence that can be presented to a judge or jury. | not allowed | General Terms | ||
| Inalienable | Not transferable; impossible to take away. | cannot take away | Inborn, absolute, basic | General Terms | |
| Incapacity | 1. A lack of physical or mental abilities that cause a person to be unable to manage his or her own personal care or finances. | lack of ability | Disability, inability | General Terms | |
| Incarcerate | Confine in a prison or jail. | put in prison | confine, detain, imprison, lock up | General Terms | |
| Incest | Sexual contact between close blood relatives, including brothers and sisters, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, or aunts or uncles with nephews or nieces. Incest is a crime in all states, even if consensual by both parties. | sex with a blood relative | General Terms | ||
| Incestuous marriage | Marriage between blood or half relatives. | marriage to a blood relative | General Terms | ||
| Inchoate | Something that has begun but has not been completed, such as a potential crime for which all the elements have not been accomplished, or a contract that has not been formalized. | unfinished | Preliminary, undeveloped, unfinished | General Terms | |
| Income withholding | Retention of an employee's or payee's income pursuant to Sections §§ 43-1720 to 43-1723. |
deducted from wages | Domestic Relations, General Terms | ||
| Income Withholding Order | An order or other legal process directed to an obligor's employer or other payor to withhold support from the income of the obligor. (§ 42-702(6)) |
order to deduct from wages | Domestic Relations, General Terms | ||
| Incompatibility | A conflict in personalities that makes married life together impossible. In a number of states, incompatibility is the accepted reason for a no-fault divorce. | conflicting | Conflicting; irreconcilable. Opposition | General Terms | |
| Incompetence | 1. Lack of legal ability to do something, especially to testify or stand trial. Also known as "incompetency." May be caused by inability, unfitness, or age. | incapable | Incapable, inability, inadequacy | General Terms | |
| Incompetent evidence | Evidence that is inadmissible because it is irrelevant or immaterial to the issues in the lawsuit. | Irrelevant immaterial | General Terms | ||
| Incontrovertible evidence | Evidence that can lead to only one conclusion. This is evidence that proves a fact beyond doubt. | obvious | Undeniable, obvious | General Terms | |
| Incorporeal | These are legal rights to something that you cannot hold, but can own An example is a patent to a product. | cannot be seen or touched | General Terms | ||
| Incriminate | To suggest, charge, accuse, show, or admit involvement in a crime. | accuse | accuse, allege, blame | General Terms | |
| Inculpatory evidence | Evidence indicating that a defendant did commit the crime. | proof | Proof | General Terms | |
| Incumbent upon | This is something someone has to do. | responsibility | must, duty, responsibility | General Terms | |
| Indecent exposure | Revealing one's genitals under circumstances likely to offend others. Reveal private parts in public. | General Terms | |||
| Indefeasible | Incapable of being changed or voided, usually describes a type of ownership in real property that cannot be changed. | cannot be changed | resistant, secure, unbeatable | General Terms | |
| Indemnify | To guarantee against a loss or damage that another might suffer. | guarantee | assure, guarantee | General Terms | |
| Indemnity | Money paid to compensate for a loss, injury, or damage. | repayment | compensation, reimbursement, repayment | General Terms | |
| Indenture (general) | Generally, any written agreement between two parties. | contract | Contract | General Terms | |
| Independent contractor | A legal category of worker that is different from an employee. Employers do not have to withhold and pay federal, state, and Social Security (FICA) taxes for independent contractors, as they must do for employees. A skilled worker who is hired but is in charge of how their work gets done. | contract labor | Skilled worker, contract labor | General Terms | |
| Independent source doctrine | A principle of law that maintains that evidence initially discovered during an unlawful search, but later obtained independently through activities untainted by the illegality, may be admitted into evidence. | General Terms | |||
| Independent trustee | A trustee who is not related to the beneficiary of the trust and does not stand to inherit any property under the trust. Independent trustees are preferred when family members are likely to disagree over management of the trust. | General Terms | |||
| Indeterminate sentence | A prison sentence expressed in a range of years, such as "five to ten years". The state parole board holds hearings that determine when, during that range, the convicted person will be eligible for parole. | range of years | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) | Statutes which clarify state policies and procedures regarding the implementation of the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act. Refer to these statutes in juvenile cases where an Indian child is the subject of the petition. § 43-1501 et seq. This is a law that protects Indian children The law makes sure that, if a child is removed from his/her parents, the child will be placed with relatives or in another Indian home . |
General Terms, Juvenile | |||
| Indicate (show) | Show, say. | point out | Show, demonstrate, express, point out | General Terms | |
| Indictable offense | A crime that the prosecutor can charge by bringing evidence of it to a grand jury. These are serious crimes that include murder, manslaughter, rape, kidnapping, grand theft, robbery, burglary, arson, conspiracy, and fraud, as well as attempts to commit them. | General Terms | |||
| Indictment | The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating there is enough evidence that a defendant committed the crime to justify a trial. Formal criminal charge laid against a person; the counts of the indictment are the individual acts alleged to have broken the law. | charge | charge, accusation | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Indigent | This term usually refers to a person who is poor, needy, and has no one to look to for support. Low-income individual. | Poor | poor, needy, poverty stricken | General Terms | |
| Indirect contempt | Contempt of court that takes place outside of the courtroom, but is thought to devalue the court or the court's administration of justice. Violating a court order outside of the courtroom. | General Terms | |||
| Indispensable party | A person or entity (such as a corporation) that must be included in, or added to a lawsuit in order for the court to make a final judgment. | required party | required party | General Terms | |
| Individual Private Sessions (IPS) | An initial private session of a parenting plan mediation held with each parent individually to assess the presence of child abuse or neglect, unresolved parental conflict, domestic intimate partner abuse, other forms of intimidation or coercion, or a party's inability to negotiate freely and make informed decisions. | General Terms, Office of Dispute Resolution | |||
| Inducing breach of contract | When a person intentionally convinces another to commit a breach of an existing contract. | General Terms | |||
| Ineffective assistance | An attorney did not do everything possible to help a client charged with a crime. | poor performance | General Terms | ||
| Infanticide | Murder of an infant soon after its birth. | The murder of an infant | General Terms | ||
| Inference | A conclusion arrived at by logically drawing on other known facts. | conclusion | conclusion, deduction, assumption | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Inferior court | Any court subordinate to the chief appellate tribunal in a particular judicial system. | Lower court. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Inform | Tell, report to. | Tell | Tell, advise, notify | General Terms | |
| Informant | Someone who gives information, especially against someone else. A person who is on the inside of a group that is doing a crime, but who tells the police what is going on. | snitch | informer, rat, sneak, snitch, source, tattletale | General Terms, Court Reporting |