jeopardy. The risk of conviction and punishment that a criminal defendant faces at trial. • Jeopardy attaches in a jury trial when the jury is empaneled, and in a bench trial when the first witness is sworn. — Also termed legal jeopardy. See DOUBLE JEOPARDY. [Cases: Double Jeopardy 59. C.J.S. Criminal Law §§ 213, 218.]
hazing, n. The practice of physically or emotionally abusing newcomers to an organization as a means of initiation. • In the early 19th century, hazing referred to beating. Hazing was a well-established custom in fraternities at Ivy League universities by the mid-19th century. (One college magazine referred to “the absurd and barbarous custom of hazing,
Venetian patent statute. Hist. A law enacted in Venice in 1474, giving an inventor the exclusive right to make and use an invention for ten years. • This was the first known patent law, with procedures for securing and enforcing the right to exclude others from working the invention.
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compensatio criminis (kom-pen-say-shee-oh krim-[schwa]-nis). [Latin] Eccles. law. A defendant’s plea in a divorce action, alleging that the complainant is guilty of the same conduct that the defendant is charged with, esp. adultery. See RECRIMINATION(1). “The compensatio criminis is the standard canon law of England in questions of divorce, and it is founded on the principle
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Patent Act of 1790. Hist. The first U.S. patent statute, establishing a board to examine patent applications, specifications, and drawings to determine whether the inventions are “sufficiently useful and important” to justify the granting of patents. • The examining board, comprising the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, and the Attorney General, was abolished
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grading. The fixing of a criminal offense at a level of seriousness, such as first degree, second degree, or third degree (in reference to a felony), or Class A, Class B, or Class C (in reference to a misdemeanor). See DEGREE OF CRIME.
Press Clause. The First Amendment provision that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom … of the press.” U.S. Const. amend I. — Also termed Freedom of the Press Clause.
Tax. An interest-free demand loan, usu. from parent to child, in which the borrowed funds are invested and the income from the investment is taxed at the child’s rate. • This type of loan is named for one Harry Crown of Chicago, reputedly one of the first persons to use it. See kiddie tax under
The juror who chairs the jury during deliberations and speaks for the jury in court by announcing the verdict. • The presiding juror is usu. elected by the jury at the start of deliberations. — Also termed foreman; foreperson; (in Scots law) jury chancellor. [Cases: Jury 147. C.J.S. Juries § 495.]
A mandamus issued upon the first application for relief, commanding the defendant either to perform the act demanded or to appear before the court at a specified time to show cause for not performing it. [Cases: Mandamus 158. C.J.S. Mandamus § 343.]
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