Abogado.com The #1 Spanish Legal Website for Consumers FindLaw.com free and reliable legal information for consumers and legal professionals Habeas Corpus – A statement of claim commonly used to bring a prisoner before a court to determine the lawfulness of their detention. A detainee who wishes to argue that there are insufficient grounds for detention would file an application for habeas corpus. It can also be used to detain a person in court in order to testify or be prosecuted. Jurisdiction – (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have jurisdiction to hear the same case at the same time. Some issues may be brought in state and federal courts. The plaintiff first decides where to file the lawsuit, but in some cases, the defendant may try to change the court. (2) The geographical area in which the court has jurisdiction to hear cases. For example, a federal court in a state can generally only decide a case arising from lawsuits filed in that state. Court – A governmental body empowered to settle disputes. Judges sometimes use the term “court” to refer to themselves in the third person, as in “the court read the pleadings.” Are you a lawyer? Visit our professional website » The Glossary of Legal Terms defines more than 100 of the most common legal terms in easy-to-understand language.
The terms are arranged alphabetically and can be best accessed by selecting a letter here: You can invoke all kinds of people or ideas, living or dead: “She evokes the spirit of good writing when she rereads her work.” If needed, you could summon a higher power. We could refer to Martin Luther King when we talk about equality. You can even summon the spirit of your dead cat at once©. Just make sure you don`t cause your cat to die (to elicit a strong emotional reaction). That would just be weird. The FindLaw Legal Dictionary – free access to over 8260 definitions of legal terms. Search for a definition or browse our legal glossaries. To invoke is to invoke something as a law, a higher power, or even a spirit. In court, you can invoke the Fifth Amendment (the right not to say anything that makes you look bad) if you don`t want to talk. LawInfo.com National Directory of Lawyers and Consumer Legal Resources Surety – Security for the release of an accused or witness from pre-trial detention (usually in the form of money) to secure their appearance on the agreed day and time.
Don`t feel bad if you have trouble remembering the difference between evoking and calling, as the words are very similar in many ways and have significant overlaps in meaning. However, the words differ and you don`t want to replace one with the other. Invoke is used to enforce or invoke things like laws, authority, or privilege (“The principal invoked a rule prohibiting students from asking questions”). Evoke is mainly used in the sense of “call or call” and is often found in relation to things like memories, emotions or sympathy. Case law – The study of the law and the structure of the legal system. Suit – A lawsuit brought by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a claim that the defendant failed to comply with a legal obligation, causing harm to the plaintiff. Common Law – The legal system that originated in England and is now used in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions and not on laws passed by the legislature. At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the leading source of free legal information and resources on the Internet. Contact us. Search the dictionary of legal abbreviations and acronyms for acronyms and/or abbreviations that contain Invoke. Jury – Persons selected in accordance with the law and sworn to investigate questions of fact and render a verdict.
State court jurors can only be six jurors in some cases. Federal civil prosecutions must have six jurors, criminal prosecutions must have twelve. Small jury (or trial jury) – A group of citizens who hear evidence presented by both parties to the trial and determine the disputed facts. The federal criminal jury is composed of 12 people. The civil jurors of the Confederation are composed of six persons. Grand jury – A panel of citizens who hear evidence of criminal charges presented by the government and determine whether there are probable reasons to believe the crime was committed. As used in federal criminal cases, “the government” refers to lawyers in the U.S. Attorney`s Office who are pursuing the case. Trial before a grand jury is closed to the public and the person suspected of having committed the crime is not allowed to be present or have a lawyer present. States are not required to appoint grand juries, but the federal government must do so under the Constitution.
Hearsay – The testimony of a witness who did not see or hear the incident in question, but learned about it through second-hand information such as someone else`s testimony, a newspaper or a document.