| A | B |
|---|
| unconstitutional | Action or law no longer valid |
| common law | Law shared throughout a nation or state |
| moralilty | Values which govern a society's attitude toward right or wrong |
| ethics | Attempt to develop a means for determining the vvalues of a society |
| law | Rules of conduct established by the governm't of a society |
| law of precedent | Decisions made by the highest court of a state |
| felony | Major crime punishable by imprisonment or death |
| crime | Act against the public good |
| burglary | Breaking/entering a dwelling at night to commiti a felony |
| defendant | Person who is accused of a crime |
| murder | Unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. |
| prosecutor | Party that accuses a person of a crime |
| misdemeanor | Less serious crime with less severe penalty |
| robbery | Unlawful taking away personal property of another accompanied by violence |
| assault | Attempt to commit a battery |
| shoplifting | Act of stealing goods from a store |
| vandalism | Willful or malicious causing of damage to property |
| unruly child | Minor who has done something that would NOT be a crime if it was done by an adult |
| rehabilitation | Process of steering youthful offenders in the right direction rather than imposing harsh penalties on them |
| domestic violence | Reckless form of physical or mental violence directed at any family member |
| delinquent child | Minor who has committed an act that would be a crime if committed by an adult |
| sobriety checkpoint | Temporary police roadblock to stop cars at random to check for drunk drivers. |
| nuisance | Interference with another's enjoyment of life or property |
| defamation | Wrongful act of injuring another's reputation with false statements. |
| negligence | Failure to exercise the degree of care that the reasonable person would exercise |
| injunction | Court order issued by judge ordering a person to do or not to do something |
| strict liability | Responsibility to answer for harm that results from ultra-hazardous activities |
| intentional tort | Wrong that occurs when a person knows and desires the consequences of his/her act |
| trespass | Wrongful injury to or interference with the property of another |
| breach of duty | One person's failure to exercise the degree of care a reasonable person would exercise in the same situation |
| appellate courts | Courts which hear appeals from lower courts; sometimes called intermediate courts |
| small claims courts | Courts which hear civil cases involving a limited amount of money |
| jurisdiction | Power and authority given to a court to hear a case and to make a judgment |
| juvenile courts | Courts that hear cases concerning young people |
| verdict | Decision of a jury or judge |
| indictment | Written accusation issued by a grand jury |
| arraignment | Procedure in which accused pleads to the charge |
| answer | Formal written reply denying or admitting allegations of the complaint |
| grand jury | Jury of inquiry that conducts a preliminary hearing |
| petit jury | Jury of peers |
| judgment | Court's decision or determination in a case |
| bail | Money or other property left with the court to assure the defendant's return to court |
| contempt of court | Deliberate violation of the order of a judge |
| forgery | False making or changing of a writing with the intent to defraud |
| battery | Unlawful touching of another person |
| invasion of privacy | Interference with the right to be let alone or be free from unwarranted publicity. |
| libel | Untruthful written or printed statement that injures another person's reputation |
| US Supreme Court | Highest court in the United States |
| Bill of Rights | First ten amendments to the Constitution |
| federal courts | Courts which derive power from Article III of US Constitution |
| valid contract | Contract that is legally binding and fully enforceable |
| offer | Proposal by one party that he/she is willing to enter a contract |
| void contract | Contract that has no legal effect |
| contract | Any agreement enforceable by law |
| counteroffer | Offer that has been changed by the offeree |
| express contract | Contract stated in oral or written words |
| bilateral contract | Contract in which both parties make promises |
| unilateral contract | Contract in which one party makes a promise in exchange for an act |
| acceptance | Unqualified agreement by the offeree to be bound by the offer |
| promissory estoppel | Doctrine which states that apromise may be enforceable without consideration |
| collective bargaining agreement | Contract negotiated by the employer and representatives of the union |
| child labor laws | Laws that control the work that children may do |
| employment-at-will | Legal doctrine that states that an employer can dismiss an employee at any time for any reason |
| grievance procedure | This step gives employees the right to appeal any employer's decision they feel violated just cause |
| unjust dismissal | This grievance provides employees with grounds for legal action against employers who have treated them unfairly |
| right-to-work laws | State laws prohibiting union shops |
| Wagner Act (National Labor Rel. Act.) | First federal law dealing with collective bargaining |
| Taft-Hartley Act | This act made closed union shops illegal and created "cooling off periods" |
| disability | Any mental/physical impairment that limits one or more of major life activities. |
| disparate impact | Indirect discrimination |
| disparate treatment | Intentional discrimination |
| equal-pay rule | Employers must pay women the same rae of pay as men holding the same type of job |
| OSHA | Agency which ensures safe and healthy working conditions |
| pension plan | Programs, created by employers, providing income to employees after they retire |
| Social Security | Government's basic method of providing income when family earnings stop or are reduced |
| Title VII | Portion of Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin, or religion |
| unemployment compensation | Act which lessens the effects of unemployment and provides for the families of out-of-work employees |
| workers' compensation | Insurance program of payments to workers who are injured on the job |
| consanguinity | Persons related by blood |
| affinity | Persons related by marriage |
| annulled | A marriage that is void. |
| polygamy | The state of having several wives or husbands at the same time. |
| bigamy | The state of having two wives or husbands at the same time |
| marriage license | A government-issued certificate giving permission to marry. |
| proxy marriage | When one or both parties at the marriage ceremony is represented by an agent who acts on their behalf. |
| common-law marriage | When parties agree between themselves that they are married, dwell together, and hold themselves out to the world as being husband and wife. |
| divorce | A declaration by the court that a void marriage has come to an end. |
| annulment | A declaration by the court that there never was a valid marriage. |
| residence | A place where a person actually lives |
| domicile | A person's principal place of abode |
| no-fault divorce laws | This law states there is no need to prove fault on the part of the other party in a marriage. |
| alimony | An allowance made to a divorced person by his/her former spouse for support and maintenance. |
| adultery | A voluntary sexual relationship involving a married person and someone other than a spouse. |
| joint custody | Awarding of custody of children to both parents. |
| desertion | The unjustified voluntary separation of one spouse from the other for a period of time seet by law with the intent of not returning. |
