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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental anguish | Mental suffering (such as fright, anxiety, grief, or other trauma) caused by another person, who can be held liable for damages. | mental pain and suffering | General Terms | ||
| Mental cruelty | When one spouse's conduct creates severe mental anguish for the other spouse, it is a legal ground for divorce. | emotional abuse | General Terms | ||
| Mental health treatment | Special condition the court imposes to require an individual to undergo evaluation and treatment for a mental disorder. | General Terms | |||
| Merit plan | Method for the selection and retention of judges in Nebraska and some other states. | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |||
| Mesne profits | Profits earned by someone who was wrongfully occupying the land for a period of time. (as in crops) | intermediate profits | General Terms | ||
| Metes and bounds | A surveyor's description of a parcel of real property, using carefully measured distances, angles and directions. | boundaries of piece of land | General Terms | ||
| Might | May | can | be permitted, be allowed, can | General Terms | |
| Military law | A body of law that oversees the members of the armed forces. | General Terms | |||
| Minimum | Least, smallest | smallest | General Terms | ||
| Minimum wage | The minimum hourly amount that can be paid to hourly workers. | General Terms | |||
| Minor/minor child | Any person under the age of nineteen years. (§ 43-2922) |
juvenile | child, juvenile | Domestic Relations, Estates, General Terms, Guardian and Conservator | |
| Minute order | An order made by a judge that is recorded only in the clerk's notes (minutes) while the court was in session. The court's answer to a party's motion. | abbreviated decision, court's answer to a request | General Terms | ||
| Minutes | The official (permanent) record of a court proceeding. | notes | record, notes, summary | General Terms | |
| Minutia (plural, Minutiae) | Small, trivial or insignificant details. | small detail | small detail, minor detail | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Miranda warning | Warnings that a police officer is required to give to a detainee based on constitutional requirements. A criminal suspect in police custody must be told about certain rights against self-incrimination and the right to a lawyer before questioning. | Miranda rights | General Terms | ||
| Misappropriation | The intentional, illegal use of someone's property or funds for one's own benefit. | misuse | dishonest, illegal, wrongful use of funds, fraud, embezzlement | General Terms | |
| Misdemeanor | Offenses less than felonies? generally those punishable by fine or imprisonment otherwise than in penitentiaries? in Nebraska, Class I through Class V. | minor violation | minor criminal offense | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Misfeasance | Performing a legal action in an illegal or improper way. | legal misconduct | General Terms | ||
| Misjoinder | The improper joining of parties to a criminal or civil lawsuit. | General Terms | |||
| Misrepresentation | Falsely stating facts with intent to deceive often to obtain money, goods, or benefits. | lie, fraud | lie, deception, distortion, fraud, | General Terms | |
| Mistrial | 1. A trial that ends without any final decision because of a fundamental error that makes the trial invalid, or when a jury cannot agree on the verdict. 2. An erroneous or invalid trial; a trial which cannot stand in law. | trial not completed | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | ||
| Misunderstanding | A situation where two parties appear to agree but in fact understand differently from what they apparently agreed upon. | confusion | confusion, mix up | General Terms | |
| Mitigating circumstances | 1. Information that may reduce someone's responsibility for a criminal act or civil wrong, but does not excuse it. 2. One which does not constitute a justification or excuse for an offense, but which may be considered as reducing the degree of moral culpability? as used in death penalty considerations. | facts that lessen the guilt | justification, extenuating circumstances, excuses | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Mitigation of damages | The idea that an injured party cannot recover unreasonable expenses related to their injury when they could have prevented the cost of damages from getting worse with reasonable effort. | General Terms | |||
| Modification | A change in an existing court order or judgment, such as a change in the amount of child support paid. | change | change, adjustment | General Terms | |
| Modification order | 1. An order that changes the terms of child support, custody or visitation in a domestic relations case. The party wishing to modify an existing order must show a material change in circumstances from the time the order sought to be modified was entered. 2. Other orders may have an Order for Modification, such as Protection Orders. | General Terms, Domestic Relations | |||
| Modify | To alter or change the content or features. | change | change, adjust, revise | General Terms | |
| Modus operandi | A "way of operating"; a pattern of criminal behavior so distinctive that investigators attribute it to the same person. | specific way of doing things | procedure, M.O., specific way of doing things | General Terms | |
| Moiety | Half of something. | half | half, equal share | General Terms | |
| Molestation | The crime of sexual acts with children up to the age of 18 or any unwanted sexual acts with adults short of rape. | General Terms | |||
| Money judgment | The amount of money the court awards to a person as payment for losses or injuries suffered. | money awarded | General Terms | ||
| Money order | A draft for a specified amount of money, purchased from a post office, bank, telegraph office, or other authorized entity that is guaranteed, and unlike a check, it cannot bounce. | General Terms | |||
| Moot | Unsettled? undecided? a moot point is one not settled by judicial decisions? a moot case is one that seeks to determine an abstract question which does not arise upon existing facts. | uncertain | unsettled, undecided, uncertain, irrelevant | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Moral turpitude | Conduct contrary to honesty, modesty or good morals. | immoral behavior | bad repute, immoral conduct | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, Court Reporting | |
| Moratorium | An authorized period of delay in paying a debt or performing an obligation. | postponement | postponement or pause of payment, suspension, halt, freeze, delay | General Terms | |
| Mortgage | 1. A loan secured by the borrower's real property and paid to the lender in regular payments of principal and interest. 2. A pledge of specific property as security for the payment of a debt. The mortgagor is the person who pledges the property. The mortgagee accepts the pledge. | home loan | General Terms | ||
| Mortgage delinquency | When the borrower on a home mortgage is late in making payments. | late on house payments | General Terms | ||
| Mortgage servicer | A business that a mortgage lender pays to administer their mortgages. | General Terms | |||
| Mortgagee | The person or business making a loan in a mortgage. | lender | General Terms | ||
| Mortgagor | The person who has borrowed money in a mortgage. | borrower | General Terms | ||
| Motion | 1. Oral or written request before, during or after a trial on which a court issues a ruling or order. 2. A request that a party makes to the judge for a ruling or an order on a particular point. | written request | written request to the judge/court | General Terms, News Reporter Guide, District Court Civil, County Court Civil, Court Reporting | |
| Motion for new trial | A party's request made after a judgment that the judge vacate that judgment and order a new trial because of significant legal error or insufficient evidence. | General Terms | |||
| Motion in limine | motion brought during pretrial or at the very beginning trial, often Associated with technical matters relating to the case. | request at the start | motion at the start, pretrial motion | General Terms, Court Reporting | |
| Motion to compel | Often a motion in limine, in the nature of an injunction requiring a party to comply with some court ruling. It is a request to have the court make a party do something. | General Terms, Court Reporting | |||
| Motion to dismiss | A motion asking the judge to throw out part or all of a lawsuit because of voluntary withdrawal, settlement out of court, or procedural error. | request to throw out | General Terms | ||
| Motion to strike | A request that the judge eliminate all or part of another party's pleading or testimony. | request to remove | General Terms | ||
| Motion to suppress | A request that the court refuse a particular piece of evidence because it was obtained illegally. | General Terms | |||
| Motive | The probable reason a person committed a crime. | reason | rationale, reason, intent, purpose | General Terms | |
| Movant | The party in a lawsuit or other legal proceeding who makes a motion. | person who requests | General Terms | ||
| Move | To make a motion in court applying for some kind of judicial action. | make a request | make a motion, make a request | General Terms |