Glossary of Terms

Appeal- \ə-'pēl\ n. a legal proceeding by which a case is brought before a higher court for review of the decision of a lower court

Citizen- \'si-tə-zən\ n. 1. an inhabitant of a city or town; especially one entitled to the rights and privileges of a free man 2. a : a member of a state b : a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it

Civil Rights- \ˈsi-vəl\ n. the nonpolitical rights of a citizen; especially the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to United States citizens by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress

Concurrence- \-'kər-ən(t)s\ n. 1. agreement or union in action; cooperation 2. agreement in opinion or design; consent

Court- \'kȯrt\ n. 1. an official assembly for the transaction of judicial business 2. a session of such a court 3. a place (as a chamber) for the administration of justice 4. a judge or judges in session; a faculty or agency of judgment or evaluation

Defendant- \di-'fen-dənt\ n. a person required to make answer in a legal action or suit

Dissent- \di-'sent\ v. 1. to withhold assent 2. to differ in opinion n. a justice's nonconcurrence with a decision of the majority- called also dissenting opinion

Draft- \'dräft\ n. 1. a system for or act of selecting individuals from a group (as for compulsory military service) 2. an act or process of selecting an individual (as for political candidacy) without the individual's expressed consent

Eminent Domain- \ˈemɪnənt doʊˈmeɪn\ n. a right of a government to take private property for public use by virtue of the superior dominion of the sovereign power over all lands within its jurisdiction

Eugenics- \yü-'je-niks\ n. a science that deals with the improvement (as by control of human mating) of hereditary qualities of a race or breed

Judge- n. one who judges as a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court

Justice- \'jəs-təs\ n. 1. the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments 2. the administration of law; especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity 3. the quality of being just, impartial, or fair 4. the quality of conforming to law 5. a judge in a higher court

Law- \'lȯ\ n. 1. a binding custom or practice of a community : a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority 2. the whole body of such customs, practices, or rules 3. common law 4. a rule or order that it is advisable or obligatory to observe 5. something compatible with or enforceable by established law

Legislator- \'le-jəs-'lā-'tȯr\ n. one that makes laws especially for a political unit; especially a member of the legislative body

Naturalize- \'na-chə-rə-'līz\ v. to confer the rights of a national on; especially to admit to citizenship

Opinion (of the court)- \ə-'pin-yən\ n. 1. a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter 2. the formal expression (as by a judge, court, or referee) of the legal reasons and principles upon which a legal decision is based

Pardon- \ˈpɑː(r)d(ə)n\ v. 1. to absolve from the consequences of a fault or crime 2. to allow (an offense) to pass without punishment 3. to relieve of a penalty improperly assessed

Plaintiff- \'plān-təf\ n. a person who brings a legal action

Plea- \'plē\ n. 1. a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's declaration in common-law practice 2. an accused person's answer to a charge or indictment in criminal practice

Tax- \'taks\ v. to assess or determine judicially the amount of (costs in a court action)  n. 1. a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes 2. a sum levied on members of an organization to defray expenses

Treason- \'trē-zən\ n. the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family

Unconstitutional- \'ən-'kän(t)-stə-'tü-shnəl\ adj. not according or consistent with the constitution of a body politic (as a nation)

Glossary of Terms
Glossary of Terms