operative construction. 1. The interpretation of a writing or agreement, esp. a contract, statute, or regulation, that is being relied on by the parties, a court, or an administrative agency. 2. Patents. A working embodiment of an invention, usu. used to conceptualize the invention and how it will work rather than to create a working […]
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in loco parentis (in loh-koh p[schwa]-ren-tis), adv. & adj.[Latin “in the place of a parent”] Of, relating to, or acting as a temporary guardian or caretaker of a child, taking on all or some of the responsibilities of a parent. • The Supreme Court has recognized that during the school day, a teacher or administrator
ombudsman (om-b[schwa]dz-m[schwa]n). 1. An official appointed to receive, investigate, and report on private citizens’ complaints about the government. 2. A similar appointee in a nongovernmental organization (such as a company or university). — Often shortened to ombuds. “An ombudsman serves as an alternative to the adversary system for resolving disputes, especially between citizens and government
collateral estoppel (e-stop-[schwa]l). 1. The binding effect of a judgment as to matters actually litigated and determined in one action on later controversies between the parties involving a different claim from that on which the original judgment was based. 2. A doctrine barring a party from relitigating an issue determined against that party in an
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A department or other instrumentality of the executive branch of the federal government, in-cluding a government corporation and the Government Printing Office. • The Administrative Procedure Act defines the term agency negatively as being any U.S. governmental authority that does not include Congress, the courts, the government of the District of Columbia, the government of
interference, n. 1. The act of meddling in another’s affairs. 2. An obstruction or hindrance. 3. Patents. An administrative proceeding in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine who is entitled to the patent when two or more applicants claim the same invention, or when an application interferes with an existing patent. • This