file, n. 1. A court’s complete and official record of a case (the associate went to the courthouse to verify that the motion is in the file). 2. A lawyer’s complete record of a case (the paralegal stored the file in three drawers in her office). 3. A portion or section of a lawyer’s case […]
desuetude (des-w[schwa]-t[y]ood). 1. Lack of use; obsolescence through disuse. 2. The doctrine holding that if a statute or treaty is left unenforced long enough, the courts will no longer regard it as having any legal effect even though it has not been repealed. [Cases: Statutes 173. C.J.S. Statutes § 292.] “[T]he doctrine of desuetude has
eyre (air). [Old French eire “journey, march”] Hist. A system of royal courts sent out into the counties by the Crown to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, to try cases, and to raise revenue for the Crown through the levy of fines. • The eyre system was abolished in the 14th century. See ARTICLES OF THE
Brady Act. A federal law establishing a national system for quickly checking the background of a prospective handgun purchaser. • The formal name of the law is the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. The U.S. Supreme Court held unconstitutional the law’s interim provision, which required chief state law-enforcement officers (usu. sheriffs) to conduct background checks
reeve (reev). Hist. 1. A ministerial officer of high rank having local jurisdiction; the chief magistrate of a hundred. • The reeve executed process, kept the peace, and enforced the law by holding court within the hundred. 2. A minor officer serving the Crown at the hundred level; a bailiff or deputy-sheriff. 3. An overseer
admiralty (ad-m[schwa]-r[schwa]l-tee), n. 1. A court that exercises jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, or offenses. • The federal courts are so called when exercising their admiralty jurisdiction, which is conferred by the U.S. Constitution (art. III, § 2, cl. 1). — Also termed admiralty court; maritime court. [Cases: Admiralty 1. C.J.S. Admiralty §§
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The rules governing civil actions in the U.S. district courts. — Abbr. Fed. R. Civ. P.; FRCP. [Cases: Federal Civil Procedure 31–44. C.J.S. Evidence § 7.] “Chief Justice Hughes in 1935 appointed fourteen lawyers and law teachers as the Advisory Committee for the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with William
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judiciary (joo-dish-ee-er-ee or joo-dish-[schwa]-ree), n. 1. The branch of government responsible for interpreting the laws and administering justice. Cf. EXECUTIVE(1); LEGISLATURE. [Cases: Judges 1. C.J.S. Judges §§ 2–7.] 2. A system of courts. 3. A body of judges. — Also termed (in sense 3) judicature. — judiciary, adj.
digest, n. 1. An index of legal propositions showing which cases support each proposition; a collection of summaries of reported cases, arranged by subject and subdivided by jurisdiction and court. • The chief purpose of a digest is to make the contents of reports available and to separate, from the great mass of caselaw, those
chancery (chan-s[schwa]r-ee). 1. A court of equity; collectively, the courts of equity. • The term is derived from the court of the Lord Chancellor, the original English court of equity. — Also termed court of chancery; chancery court. “Chancery’s jurisdiction was complementary to that of the courts of common law — it sought to do