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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malpractice | The delivery of substandard care or services by a professional who fails to provide a reasonable quality of care. | abuse, misconduct | professional negligence or misconduct | General Terms | |
| Mandamus | The name of a writ which issues from a court of superior jurisdiction, directed to an inferior court or a public officer, commanding the performance of a particular act. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide | |||
| Mandamus, Prerogative writ | Court orders a government unit (like a motor vehicle administration) to do something that it won't do. Example: titling a car. | General Terms | |||
| Mandate | A command from a court directing the enforcement of a judgment, sentence or decree. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide | |||
| Mandatory | Required, ordered. | required | required, necessary, essential, forced, obligatory | General Terms | |
| Mandatory joinder | A court requirement that someone or some party take part in a lawsuit in order for the case to be resolved. | must join a lawsuit | General Terms | ||
| Manifest | Apparent, obvious, or evident. | obvious | obvious, clear, plain, visible | General Terms | |
| Manifestation determination | A hearing (that takes place before an expulsion hearing) to decide if a student's misconduct was or was not due to the student's identified disability. | General Terms | |||
| Manpower | Personnel, workforce. | workers | workforce, workers, laborers | General Terms | |
| Manslaughter | The unlawful killing of another without malice? may be voluntary, upon a sudden impulse, or involuntary in the commission of some unlawful act. | killing | killing without bad intent | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Marginal tax rate | The percentage rate at which an individual's or business's next dollar of income is taxed. | General Terms | |||
| Marital deduction | A tax deduction that allows someone to pass an entire estate to a surviving spouse without any estate tax. | General Terms | |||
| Marital privilege | The right of spouses not to testify about confidential communications between them. Prosecutors cannot force you to testify against your spouse. | General Terms | |||
| Marital property | All property either spouse bought during the marriage. It does not matter whose name is on the title. | General Terms | |||
| Marital settlement agreement | The document that lists the terms of a divorce agreement made by the spouses. | property settlement | General Terms | ||
| Marital tort | A civil wrong by one spouse against the other. An act that hurts the other spouse. | General Terms | |||
| Maritime law | The laws and regulations that exclusively govern activities in any navigable waters. Laws that govern ships and shipping on the high seas. | General Terms | |||
| Mark | A symbol or marking that serves as a signature, for someone not capable of writing a signature. | substitute signature | symbol, substitute signature | General Terms | |
| Marshal | 1. A peace officer with duties similar to those of a sheriff. 2. to organize or lead. | officer, lead | General Terms | ||
| Mass tort | A civil wrong that causes injury to many people. | General Terms | |||
| Master | A person appointed by a court to assist with particular issues or proceedings in a case. | one having authority | one having authority, one who rules | General Terms | |
| Material | Relevant and significant; will have significant impact. | will have significant impact | important, relevant, significant, consequential, major | General Terms | |
| Material breach | A violation of contract that is severe enough to undermine the entire agreement. | serious violation | significant breach, substantial breach, severe breach | General Terms | |
| Material evidence | Such as is relevant and goes to the substantial issues in dispute. | important information | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Material evidence | Such as is relevant and goes to the substantial issues in dispute. | relevant | General Terms, News Reporter Guide | ||
| Material witness | A witness who has significant information about evidence in a case. | witness with important information | General Terms | ||
| Matter of record | Anything that has been entered into the record of the court. | anything that has been recorded | appears on the court record | General Terms | |
| Maturity date | The date when a debt becomes due or when an asset has reached its maximum growth. | due date | due date, completion date | General Terms | |
| May | To be permitted to. | can | be permitted, be allowed, can | General Terms | |
| Mayhem | 1. Unlawfully and violently harming a part of someone's body and making it disabled, disfigured, or useless. 2. To cause gross harm in an uncontrolled fashion. | 1. disfigure. 2. destruction. | 1. aggravated assault. 2. anarchy, destruction, havoc, pandemonium | General Terms | |
| McNaughten rule/ M'Naughten rule | The rule that holds a defendant meets the test of criminal insanity and would not be held responsible for acts if they did not know what they were physically doing, or did not know that it was wrong. | criminal insanity test/guidelines | General Terms | ||
| Mea culpa | my fault; negligence. | my fault | my fault, acknowledgment | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Mechanic's lien | A legal claim placed on real estate by someone who is owed money for labor, services, or supplies related to the improvement of that property. | claim on property | General Terms, Court Reporting | ||
| Mediation | A process by which a neutral third party assists two or more people to resolve conflict and reach a mutually agreed upon solution. | negotiation | intervention, negotiation process, finding compromise | General Terms, Domestic Relations, Office of Dispute Resolution | |
| Mediator | A neutral third party who guides a resolution process of two parties in mediation. | negotiator | referee, negotiator | General Terms | |
| Medicaid | A federal-state program that helps financially needy people to pay for medical costs. | General Terms | |||
| Medical certification | A document that demonstrates to an employer a legitimate medical need, often required for disability, unemployment, or family leave. | General Terms | |||
| Medical marijuana | Any form of marijuana used for medical purposes. This is not legal in all states. | General Terms | |||
| Medical support | Expenses associated with the birth of a child, or medical and hospital insurance coverage. (§ 43-512(6)(c)) |
Domestic Relations, General Terms | |||
| Medicare | A federal government program that helps elders and people with certain disabilities pay their medical costs. | General Terms | |||
| Medicare tax | A tax deducted from all employee paychecks to fund Medicare. | General Terms | |||
| Meet and confer | A requirement of certain motions or petitions, that lawyers (and sometimes their clients) meet to try to resolve the matter or at least clarify the issue. | get together and discuss | General Terms | ||
| Meeting of the minds | When two parties to a contract have an actual and mutual understanding of the terms. | parties understand | agreement, parties understand | General Terms | |
| Megan's law | A law that requires convicted sex offenders to register with law enforcement authorities, who then make certain information about them publicly available. | General Terms | |||
| Memorandum decision | A single, very brief paragraph summarizing a court's decision in a case. | brief ruling | General Terms | ||
| Memorandum opinion | Brief holding of the whole court with the opinion limited or omitted. | brief opinion | General Terms | ||
| Memorandum to set | A paper filed by one or more parties in a court case saying the case is ready for trial. | notice case is ready for trial | General Terms | ||
| Mens rea | a guilty mind; criminal intent. | criminal intent | knowledge of wrong doing, criminal intent, guilty mind | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Mens sana in corpore | a healthy mind in a healthy body. | sound mind and sound body | sound mind and sound body | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Mens; | mind; intention, knowledge, meaning. | intent, mind | mind | General Terms, Court Reporting |