An otherwise legal vote cast in a form from which the tellers cannot ascertain the voter’s intent. • On a secret ballot, no voter may properly claim an unintelligible vote for the purpose of explaining it since the vote may have been cast by another voter who cannot contradict the claimant without sacrificing his or […]
unintelligible vote Read More »
safe harbor. 1. An area or means of protection. 2. A provision (as in a statute or regulation) that affords protection from liability or penalty. • SEC regulations, for example, provide a safe harbor for an issuer’s business forecasts that are made in good faith. — Also termed safe-harbor clause; safe-harbor provision. [Cases: Securities Regulation
A system in which each voter may cast more than one vote for the same candidate. • Cumulative voting helps a minority elect at least one representative. It is common in shareholder elections. [Cases: Corporations 200, 283(2). C.J.S. Corporations §§ 373, 384, 439–442.]
electoral college. (often cap.) The body of electors chosen from each state to formally elect the U.S. President and Vice President by casting votes based on the popular vote. [Cases: United States 25. C.J.S. United States § 46.]
slander n. 口头诽谤 指以言词或其他非永久性形式针对他人所作的虚假或诋毁性陈述，它可以作为诉因而被要求损害赔偿。在英国法中，自17世纪开始即把诽谤〔defamation〕分为两种，即口头诽谤与书面诽谤〔libel〕(包括以广播〔by broadcasting〕形式进行诽谤)。尽管两者在一般人看来属于同义语，并且在许多方面都受相同原则的调整，但它们之间还是存在如下重大区别：第一，书面诽谤不仅仅是一种可以被起诉的侵权行为，而且也可以构成犯罪，口头诽谤则只是一种民事侵权行为。第二，书面诽谤在所有案件中均可因该行为本身〔per se〕而被起诉，而口头诽谤则只在特定的案件中才可因行为本身而被起诉，在其他案件中须由原告证明存在实际损害方可起诉。但这两者的区别也受到了严厉的批评，认为这将导致严重不公。关于口头诽谤的构成，英国法律将之区分为两种情况：１诽谤原告犯有作为首犯应受监禁处罚的犯罪，或者诬称其患有应与社会隔离的传染病，或者对其职位、职业、称呼、商业或业务进行诋毁；或者以不贞或通奸诽谤妇女。上述行为属于以行为本身即可受到起诉的口头诽谤〔slander actionable per se〕。２除此以外的诽谤行为，如果因此导致原告受有特定的实际损害的，则属于因实际损害而受到起诉的口头诽谤〔slander actionable by reason of special damage〕。美国法亦将口头诽谤分为两种：因行为本身而构成的口头诽谤〔slander per se〕与因存在实际损害而构成的口头诽谤〔slander per quod〕。美国《侵权法第二次重述》〔Restatement, Second, Torts〕认为口头诽谤的实质要件包括：１涉及他人的虚假或诋毁性陈述；２不享有豁免特权而向第三方进行传播；３公开方具有过失以上的过错；４存在无须造成损害即可起诉的诉因或存在因此造成的实际损害。 (→defamation; libel)
Africa Company 〈英〉非洲公司 1672年组建的皇家非洲公司〔Royal Africa Company〕，该公司被授予沿非洲西海岸的贸易垄断权，该权利于1698年被废除。根据1750年的法律，对非洲贸易商人公司〔Company of Merchants Trading to Africa〕取代皇家非洲公司行使行政职能，该公司被禁止从事贸易。这两个公司都被称为非洲公司。后者被1821年《西部非洲法》〔West Africa Act〕废除，国王接管了其港口与要塞〔castles〕，贸易则完全开放。
Rhodian law (roh-dee-[schwa]n). As legend would have it, the earliest known system or code of maritime law, supposedly dating from 900 B.C. and adopted intact by the Romans. • Rhodian law was purportedly developed by the people of the island Rhodes, located in the Aegean Sea and now belonging to Greece. The ancient inhabitants of
antibootleg, adj. Copyright. Of or pertaining to an effort to combat or discourage illegal recording, distribution, and sale of unauthorized reproductions of live and broadcast performances. • The federal antibootleg statute, 18 USCA § 2319A, and the antibootleg statutes of several states criminalize bootlegging activities. — antibootleg-ging, n. See ANTIBOOTLEG STATUTE.
county palatine (pal-[schwa]-tIn or -tin). Hist. A county in which the lord held certain royal privileges, such as the right to pardon a felon or to have indictments recite that offenses were committed against the lord’s — rather than the king’s — peace. • In England, there were three such counties: Chester, Durham, and Lancaster.
right of revolution. The inherent right of a people to cast out their rulers, change their polity, or effect radical reforms in their system of government or institutions, by force or general uprising, when the legal and constitutional methods of making such changes have proved inadequate or are so obstructed as to be unavailable.
right of revolution Read More »