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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information | 1. A written statement of the charges against a defendant. 2. An accusation of some criminal offense in the nature of an indictment, but which is presented by a competent public officer such as a county attorney instead of a grand jury. | written charges | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Informed consent | An agreement to do something or to allow something to happen, made with complete knowledge of the relevant facts, risks, and available alternatives. | agree with full understanding | General Terms | ||
| Infra | Below; referring to material coming later, particularly in a document. | next | Next, later, afterward | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Infraction | An act which is prohibited by law but which is not legally defined as a serious crime. | minor offense | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Inherit | To receive property from someone who has died. Whenever someone receives property from the estate of a deceased person. | receive through a will | acquire, receive, be left | General Terms | |
| Inheritance | The property or money you got from someone who put you in their will. | General Terms | |||
| Inheritance tax | The taxes imposed by Nebraska according to the relationship to the descent of the person who receives the property. | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Inhibition | A legal procedure to prevent a debtor from compromising property upon which a creditor holds a charge. | to forbid or prevent | General Terms | ||
| Initiate | Begin, start, introduce. | start | start, begin | General Terms | |
| Initiating jurisdiction | The state or county court, or administrative agency, that sends a request for action to another jurisdiction in interstate child support cases. One court asks another court in a different state to do something. | General Terms | |||
| Initiating State | A state from which a proceeding is forwarded to a responding state. (§ 42-702(7)) |
Domestic Relations, General Terms | |||
| Injunction | A court order that prohibits a party from doing something (restrictive injunction) or compels them to do something (mandatory injunction). | instruction | decree, ruling, instruction | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Injury | Harm done to a person by the acts or omissions of another. Injury may be physical or may involve damage to reputation, loss of a legal right, or breach of a contract. | harm | hurt, harm, damage | General Terms | |
| Innocent | Often used to refer to defendants found "not guilty". This is when a judge or a jury decides that a person did not commit a crime. | not guilty | General Terms | ||
| Insanity | A complete defense to a crime? exists when at the time of the commission of the crime, the accused was not aware of the nature and quality of his or her criminal act, or if the accused did, was not aware that the act was legally wrong. | mental illness, mental disorder, irresponsibility | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Installment payments | Weekly, monthly, or other periodic payments on a debt. | General Terms | |||
| Instruction/instructions to jury | Instructions given by a judge to a jury immediately before they decide a case, telling the jury what laws apply to that case. These are the rules a jury must follow when making a decision on a case. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Insubordination | Intentionally not doing what your supervisor told you to do. | General Terms | |||
| Insufficient evidence | Evidence so inadequate that a court will find that it has no basis to proceed, and will most likely dismiss the case. | not enough proof to continue | General Terms | ||
| Intellectual property | Property that belongs to someone. Includes books, inventions, business secrets, and trademarks that are created by the human mind, and typically protected by patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws. | General Terms | |||
| Intent | A person made the decision to act in a certain way or to something. Intent is often required to find a person guilty of a certain crime. It may help define what kind of crime was committed. | Decided | General Terms | ||
| Inter alia | Among other things. One example out of many. | Among other things | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Inter alios | Among other persons. A situation where there are multiple people involved | multiple people involved | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Inter vivos | Among the living; gift or property passing from one person to another but not by means of a will or in anticipation of death. While alive. | while alive | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Intercept | 1. When nonwage payments (federal or state income tax refunds, unemployment benefits, and disability benefits) are given to a custodial parent who is owed support rather than the noncustodial parent. 2. To stop something or someone before the thing or person is able to reach its destination. | block | 1. garnish, take; 2. Stop, block, prevent | General Terms | |
| Intercountry | Occurring between or involving two or more countries. International, this term is often used in adoption cases. | between more than one country | International, between more than one country. | General Terms | |
| Interested party | A party who has a recognizable stake (and therefore standing) in a matter | General Terms, Domestic Relations | |||
| Interested witness | A witness in a trial who has a personal interest in the outcome of the case. | General Terms | |||
| Interim order | A temporary order that a judge makes, usually lasting until the hearing or trial where decisions about a final order will be made. | temporary order | temporary order | General Terms | |
| Interlocutory | Provisional; temporary; not final; refers to orders and decrees of a court. Appeal in the middle of the case that doesn't end the case. | temporary order | Temporary, Not Final | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Intermittent leave | Leave taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in separate blocks of time, rather than all at once. | General Terms | |||
| Interpleader | When 2 or more people say they have a claim to the same thing held by a third party, the third party can deposit the disputed property with the court and allow the court to settle the dispute. | General Terms | |||
| Interpreter | A person certified to translate, orally or in writing, spoken or sign language into the common language of the court. | Translator | General Terms | ||
| Interrogate | To ask questions of (a person), sometimes to seek answers or information that the person questioned considers personal or secret. To examine by questions; question formally. | question | Question, inquire | General Terms | |
| Interrogation | Vigorous questioning, usually by the police of a suspect in custody. | questioning | Questioning | General Terms | |
| Interrogatories | A way of collecting information before a trial through written questions to be answered in writing and under oath. | written questions | General Terms, Domestic Relations, News Reporter Guide, District Court Civil, County Court Civil, Court Reporting | ||
| Interstate cases | Child support cases where the dependent child and the parent that owes support live in different states, or other cases where 2 or more states are actively involved. | parties are in different states | General Terms | ||
| Interstate Compact on Juveniles | An agreement for cooperation among states in returning and accepting the return if runaway juveniles. | General Terms, Juvenile | |||
| Intervene | To enter into a lawsuit that has already started between other parties, because the decision in the case will affect you. | General Terms | |||
| Intervening cause | An event that occurs after the defendant's negligence that contributes to the plaintiff's harm. Might be used as a defense in a negligence case. | General Terms | |||
| Intervenor | Person voluntarily joining an action, with permission of the court. One who intervenes. | someone who joins a case | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Intestate | When a person dies without leaving a valid will. | without a will | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Intoxication | The condition of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. | Drunk or stoned | General Terms | ||
| Intra vires | Within the power; an act a person or corporation has authority to perform. | officially allowed | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Involuntary | To act without intent, will, or choice. | automatic | automatic, forced, uncontrolled, unintentional | General Terms | |
| Ipso facto | By the fact itself; one fact leads to a conclusion "I saw him; ipso facto, he must have been there!" | by that very fact | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Irreconcilable differences | Continuing differences between parties that cannot be solved. Might be used as what lead to the breakdown of a marriage, and the most common basis for granting a no-fault divorce. | difference of opinion | Incompatibility, opposition, difference of opinion, disagreement | General Terms | |
| Irregular | Unusual or not occurring at predictable times. Events happen more than once, but at random times. | random | Random, uneven | General Terms | |
| Irrelevant | 1. Evidence not relating or applicable to the matter in issue? not supporting the issue. 2. This is a fact that is not important to a case. A judge will not let a jury hear or see this fact. | Immaterial | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Irreparable injury | Harm that no monetary compensation can cure or reverse, such as polluting a stream. Harm that cannot be fixed. | cannot be fixed | General Terms |