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:
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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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juris Doctor | A graduate degree given to law school graduates in the U.S. (also called a Doctor of Jurisprudence). | law degree | law degree, J.D. | General Terms | |
| Jurisdiction | The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case, or refers to the geographical area over which a court has authority. | area | area of authority, district, area, control | General Terms, Guardian and Conservator, Estates, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court | See Section § 43-247 and especially the PRACTICE NOTE accompanying that section. For the clerk magistrate's power under the Act, see section § 24-519(4) and (6). A court having special jurisdiction, of a paternal nature, over delinquent and neglected children. The juvenile court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction as to any juvenile defined in subdivision (1) of § 43-247 who is under the age of sixteen, as to any juvenile defined in subdivision (3) of this section, and as to the parties and proceedings provided in subdivision (5), (6), and (8) of this section. Exception: traffic infractions. |
General Terms, Juvenile | |||
| Jurisdictional amount | The monetary value of a case that determines whether or not a particular court can hear a case. For instance, a Small Claims case has a dollar limit. If the amount in the case is more than that, it is heard as another type of case. | General Terms | |||
| Jurisdictional limit | The maximum amount of money that a court can award. | General Terms | |||
| Jurisprudence | The philosophy of law of the science which treats of the principles of positive law and legal relationships. | philosophy of law, science, theory | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Juror | A person selected to serve on a jury. | peer | hearer, peer | General Terms | |
| Juror challenge | Either party may challenge a prospective juror for cause wherein some cause or rational reason underlies the challenge. | dismiss for a reason | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Jury (or petit jury) | 1. A group of citizens picked according to law and authorized to decide a case. 2. A group of people selected to apply the law, as stated by the judge, to a case and make a decision about the case. 3. A group of people who are sworn to inquiry of certain matters of fact, and to declare the truth upon evidence laid before them. | peers | peers, board, tribunal | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Jury box | An enclosed area where the jury sits during a jury trial. | General Terms | |||
| Jury commissioner | The local official responsible for giving the court lists of qualified potential jurors. | General Terms | |||
| Jury duty | The obligation to serve on a jury. | serve on a jury | General Terms | ||
| Jury fees | A small amount of money paid to jurors for each day they serve in a trial. | payment | General Terms | ||
| Jury instructions | The Court's explanation of the law provided to the jury before it begins | rules given to the jury | guidelines, rules, | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Jury nullification | A decision by a jury to free a defendant who has violated a law that the jury believes is unjust or wrong. | found not-guilty | acquit, found not-guilty | General Terms | |
| Jury panel | A list of people ordered to go to court for jury duty, from which jurors for a particular trial may be chosen. | group | General Terms | ||
| Jury roster | A list of all the potential jurors asked to appear in court for possible service on a jury. | listing of names | General Terms | ||
| Jury selection | The process by which a jury is chosen for a particular trial. | interview | General Terms | ||
| Jury trial | A trial in which the case is presented to a jury for the final decision about the case. | decided by peers | General Terms | ||
| Just cause | Good cause; a legally sufficient reason. | good reason | General Terms | ||
| Justice of the peace | An official who handles minor legal matters. | General Terms | |||
| Justice system | A term that describes the courts, government offices, law enforcement, and other agencies and individuals that play a role in the legal system. | legal system | General Terms | ||
| Justifiable | Capable of being considered a valid, legal reason. | reasonable | General Terms | ||
| Justifiable homicide | A killing without evil or criminal intent, for which there is no blame. | kill in self-defense | General Terms | ||
| Juvenile | Juvenile is any person who was under the age of 18 years at the time of the act which brought the juvenile court action. It should be noted that once the juvenile court acquires jurisdiction of a juvenile by an adjudication, its jurisdiction continues until the juvenile reaches the are of 19 unless the juvenile is earlier discharged by the court. A juvenile is a party to a juvenile court action. | young person | adolescent, child, young person, minor | General Terms, Juvenile | |
| Juvenile court | A court that hears cases involving the morale, health, or welfare of children, usually under the age of 18. | court for children | General Terms | ||
| Juvenile delinquent | A generic term, embracing every lapse into wrongdoing from murder to habitual truancy, even certain acts of incorrigibility rather than crime. A young person who habitually breaks the law, especially somebody repeatedly charged with vandalism or other antisocial behavior. | young person who breaks law | General Terms, Juvenile | ||
| Juvenile Intake Process | If a juvenile is arrested or detained by a law enforcement officer. The probation officer is notified and begins a juvenile intake process which includes interviews, criminal history record checks and the use of a detention screening instrument. Probation officers make a decision whether to detain a juvenile or release him or her to a parent or relative. Not all juveniles arrested by law enforcement require secure detention. If the juvenile is detained by the probation officer, the juvenile must appear before a judge within forty-eight (48) business hours for a detention hearing. | General Terms, Juvenile | |||
| Juvenile Justice Facilitation (JJF) | A flexible multi-party facilitation to unravel conflicts and set a better course direction for the youth, with the goal of solving problems that are hindering the youth's progress. | General Terms, Office of Dispute Resolution | |||
| Juvenile Justice Mediation (JJM) | A one-on-one mediation that can be between a youth and parent, parent and provider, or family members, with the goal of solving problems that are barriers to the youth's progress and can address status offenses. | General Terms, Office of Dispute Resolution | |||
| Juvenile Support Order | An order issued by a separate juvenile court or county court which provides for child or spousal support. Such orders are filed with the clerk of the district court who shall maintain a record of the support judgment. | General Terms, Domestic Relations | |||
| K | The shorthand symbol for "contract" used by lawyers and law students. | contract | General Terms | ||
| Kangaroo court | Slang for a court that operates unjustly or with unfair bias. | unfair court | General Terms | ||
| Keeper | A court-appointed officer responsible for money or property legally seized in connection with a pending case. | manager | holder, manager, one responsible | General Terms | |
| Keeper levy | When a levying officer takes over the operation of a judgment debtor's business for a limited time to obtain payment for the judgment creditor. | take a business | General Terms | ||
| Kidnapping | Taking a person away by means of fear, force, or fraud. | abduction, seizure, take hostage | General Terms | ||
| Kin | A blood or legal relative. | relative | relative, family | General Terms | |
| Kindred | All the relatives of a deceased person. | relatives | relatives, family, kin, relation | General Terms | |
| Kiting | Writing bad checks and taking advantage of the time it takes checks to clear to illegally obtain money from a bank. | check fraud | General Terms | ||
| Know-how | A particular kind of technical knowledge that is needed to accomplish a task. | skill | skill, expertise, knowledge | General Terms | |
| L.W.O.P | A lifetime prison sentence; the acronym for life without parole. | Life without parole (LWOP) | General Terms | ||
| Laches | Lax, loose, slack; omission, neglect, or failure to perform a duty or assert a right. | failure to perform | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Land | Real estate that can be transferred by deed and that may include permanent structures. | real estate | Real estate, plot, tract, ground, area, estate | General Terms | |
| Land trust | An agreement by which one party (the trustee) holds ownership of land for the benefit of an individual or entity (the beneficiary). | transfer to a property manager | General Terms | ||
| Landlocked | A property that has no access to a public street and can only be reached by crossing other property. | surrounded | surrounded, no access | General Terms | |
| Landlord | A person who rents land, a building, or an apartment to a tenant. | Property owner | Property owner, proprietor | General Terms | |
| Landlord-tenant law | The area of law for cases about renting and leasing residential and commercial property and the rights of both the owner and the renter. | General Terms | |||
| Landmark decision | Particularly important holding or ruling that affects large segments of law. | ruling that changes law | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Lapse | Under a will, the failure to gift property when the beneficiary dies before the will's maker and no one else is named as the beneficiary. | gift cannot be given | General Terms | ||
| Larceny | Theft when the property is taken in a non-forceful way. | theft | theft, stealing | General Terms |