solicitor general. (usu. cap.) The second-highest-ranking legal officer in a government (after the attorney general); esp., the chief courtroom lawyer for the executive branch. — Abbr. SG. Pl. solicitors general. “By [federal] law, only the Solicitor General or his designee can conduct and argue before the Supreme Court cases ‘in which the United States is […]
obstruction. 1. Something that impedes or hinders, as in a street, river, or design; an obstacle. 2. The act of impeding or hindering something; interference. 3. Oil & gas. A common-law doctrine that suspends the running of time under an oil-and-gas lease or extends the lease for a reasonable period of time if rights granted
statute of limitations. 1. A law that bars claims after a specified period; specif., a statute establishing a time limit for suing in a civil case, based on the date when the claim accrued (as when the injury occurred or was discovered). • The purpose of such a statute is to require diligent prosecution of
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agricultural-disparagement law. A statute designed to protect food producers from and provide remedies for pecuniary harm resulting from false and malicious reports of food contamination. • A typical statute applies to false and disparaging public statements implying or claiming that a perishable food product is unsafe for human consumption. It typically applies when the speaker
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legal-certainty test. Civil procedure. A test designed to determine whether the amount in controversy satisfies the minimum needed to establish the court’s jurisdiction. • The amount claimed in the complaint will control unless there is a “legal certainty” that the claim is actually less than the minimum amount. See AMOUNT IN CONTROVERSY. [Cases: Federal Courts
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emperor. 1. The title of the sovereign ruler of an empire. 2. The chief of a confederation of states of which kings are members. • The rulers of the Roman world adopted the designation emperor after the fall of the republic. The title was later assumed by those — including Napoleon — who claimed to
loss-payable clause. Insurance. An insurance-policy provision that authorizes the payment of proceeds to someone other than the named insured, esp. to someone who has a security interest in the insured property. • Typically, a loss-payable clause either designates the person as a beneficiary of the proceeds or assigns to the person a claim against the
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de cujus (dee kyoo-j[schwa]s orkI-[schwa]s). [Latin] From whom. • This term is used to designate (1) the person by or through whom another claimed something, or (2) the person whose legal position is in issue.
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. A federal statute providing individuals with a right of action against foreign governments, under certain circumstances, to the extent the claim arises from the private, as opposed to the public, acts of the foreign state. 28 USCA §§ 1602–1611. — Abbr. FSIA. See RESTRICTIVE PRINCIPLE OF SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY. [Cases: International Law
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homestead law. A statute exempting a homestead from execution or judicial sale for debt, unless all owners, usu. a husband and wife, have jointly mortgaged the property or otherwise subjected it to creditors’ claims. — Also termed homestead exemption; homestead-exemption statute; homestead right. [Cases: Homestead 1, 118.] “Almost all states also have legislative provisions, commonly