| A | B |
|---|
| Assumption of Risk | knowing of risk and still taking the chance |
| Comparative Negligence | negligence of each party is compared |
| Contributory Negligence | plaintiff helps cause his or her injuries |
| Defamation | injuring another’s reputation |
| False Imprisonment | false arrest |
| Intentional Tort | know and desire the consequences of your act |
| Invasion of Privacy | interfering with a person’s right to be left alone |
| Libel | false statement made in writing |
| Negligence | - Failure to exercise a degree of care that a reasonable person would have exercised in those circumstances |
| Nuisance | anything that interferes with the enjoyment of life |
| Proximate Cause | legal connection between unreasonable conduct and the resulting harm |
| Slander | false statement made orally |
| Strict Liability | participation in ultrahazardous activity |
| Tort | One person’s interference with another person’s rights, either through intent, negligence, or strict liability |
| Tortfeasor | person who committed a tort |
| Trespass | wrongful damage to or interference with the property of another |
| Unintentional Tort | lacks the determination of mind |
| Arson | willful and malicious burning of a house or other building |
| Assault | an attempt to commit a battery |
| Battery | unlawful touching of another person |
| Bribery | illegally paying or giving anything of value to public officials in order to influence their official activity |
| Burglary | breaking (opening) and entering of a dwelling house at night with the intent to commit a felony |
| Computer Crimes | illegally using hardware and software by copying and/or taking data from web sites and programs for personal use without prior permission |
| Crime | an act against the public good, punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both |
| Death Penalty | -take the life of the convicted by use of various means, i.e., lethal injection, electric chair, gas mass |
| Defendant | person accused of committing a crime |
| Defense of Family Members | person who uses force to rescue a family member who has been attacked |
| Embezzlement | wrongful taking away of another’s property by a person who has been entrusted with that property |
| Entrapment | law enforcement officer induces a law-abiding citizen to commit a crime |
| Extortion | unjust taking of money or a thing of value by a public official |
| Felony | major crime punishable by imprisonment or death |
| Fines | payment of a specified amount of money as a penalty for committing a crime |
| Forgery | false making or changing of a writing with the intent to defraud |
| Imprisonment | indefinite or indeterminate sentences handed down by the judge |
| Insanity | crime committed without the knowledge or mental state of the person |
| Juvenile | youth under the legal of adulthood |
| Kidnapping | unlawful removal or restraint of a person against that person’s will |
| Larceny | unlawful taking and carrying away of personal property of another with the intent to deprive the owner of it |
| Manslaughter | unlawful killing of another human being without malice aforethought |
| Misdemeanors | less serious crime with a less severe penalty |
| Murder | unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought |
| Prosecutor | attorney representing the state |
| Robbery | wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal property of another accomplished by violence or threats |
| Self-Defense | a person having good reason to believe to be in danger of serious injury or death and uses force to protect self |
| Sentence | decision of judge to impose appropriate punishment of a crime |
| Sex Offenses | sexual assault by a friend or a date to include other types of sexual misconduct |
| Telecommujnication Laws of Cyber Laws | governs the legal issues of cyberspace |
| Answer | Formal written document that admits or denies each allegation of the complaint and states any defenses that the defendant plans to use |
| Appellate Court | Courts that have the authority to hear appeals and review cases from lower courts |
| Appellate Jurisdiction | Authority of court to review a decision of a lower court or administrative agency |
| Arraignment | Procedure in which the accused is brought before the court, read the indictment or information, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty |
| Arrest | Action when a person is deprived of his or her freedom |
| Bail | Money or other property that is left with the court to assure the court that the person will return to stand trial |
| Complaint | Legal document containing a short and plain statement of the plaintiff’s claim against the defendant |
| Contempt of Court | Action that hinders the administration of justice in court |
| Court | Governmental forum that administers justice under the law |
| Court of Record | Accurate, detailed report of what went on at a trial |
| Delinquent Child | Minor, under a certain age (usually sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen), who has committed an act that would be a crime if done by an adult |
| Detention Hearing | Hearing whether there are good reasons for keeping the accused in custody and whether or not there are special circumstances affecting the case |
| Due Process | An administrative agency decision-making, notice of charges or potential rule making coupled with opportunity to appear, present evidence, and confront witnesses if warranted |
| Due Process of Law | Constitutional requirement for fundamental fairness in our legal and court system |
| Ex Parte Injunction | Injunction issued by a judge after hearing only one side of an argument |
| General Jurisdiction | Authority of a court to hear a wide range of cases |
| Grand Jury | Jury of inquiry. It is a group of citizens called together by a court official to determine whether there is enough evidence to justify accusing certain persons of certain crimes |
| Indictment | Written accusation issued by the grand jury charging the individual or individuals named in it with a certain crime |
| Injunction | Court order issued by a judge ordering a person to do or not to do something |
| Intermediate Court | Court between the lower court and the highest court. Also called appellate court |
| Judgment | Final result of a trial |
| Jurisdiction | Power of a court to decide a case |
| Jury | Panel of citizens sworn by a court to decide issues of fact in court cases |
| Justice | Title of a judge on the state Supreme Court or federal Supreme Court |
| Juveniles | Individuals over 13 and under 18 years of age who have special status under the criminal law |
| Limited Jurisdiction | Authority of a court to hear only one particular type of case |
| Minor | Young person who has not reached the age of legal adulthood. Eighteen is now generally accepted as the age of legal adulthood |
| Municipal Court | City court, usually divided into traffic and criminal divisions |
| Original Jurisdiction | Power to hear the case in full for the first time |
| Precedent | When judge is required to follow an earlier court decision when deciding a case with similar circumstances. Also called doctrine of stare decisis |
| Probate Court | Administers wills and estates |
| Procedural Defense | Defense based on problems with the way evidence is obtained or the way the accused person is arrested, questioned, tried, or punished |
| Procedural Law | Group of laws that define the methods for enforcing legal rights and duties |
| Prosecutor | Party that accuses the person of a crime. The plaintiff |
| Punitive Damages | Money a court requires a defendant to pay in order to punish and make an example of the defendant |
| Real Defense | Defense that may be used against a holder in due course in a legal action involving a negotiable instrument; a defense that prohibits a holder in due course from collecting on a negotiable instrument |
| Small Claims Court | Special court intended to handle small claims on debts quickly and simply |
| Stare Decisis | Doctrine that requires lower courts to follow existing case law in deciding similar cases |
| Statue of Limitations | State laws setting time limit for bringing a lawsuit |
| Statutes | Laws enacted by state or federal legislatures |
| Trial Court | First court to hear a dispute |
| Unruly Child | Minor who has done something that would not be a crime if it were done by an adult |
| Verdict | Decision of the jury |
