Legal Terms A – B

acquittal — a finding that the defendant is not guilty of the charges brought by the government. This finding may be reached by the trial judge either in a case tried before the judge or on a motion for judgment …

Legal Terms C – D

case file — a complete collection of every document in a case.

case law — the law as laid down in the decisions of the courts; the law in cases that have been decided. Compare with statute.

case management — …

Legal Terms E – H

early neutral evaluation — a form of alternative dispute resolution in which an experienced, impartial attorney with expertise in the subject matter of the case (a neutral evaluator) gives the parties a nonbinding assessment of the case and may also …

Legal Terms I – N

impeachment — (1) the process of charging government officials with serious misconduct in office that can lead to their removal; (2) the process of calling the credibility of a witness into question, as in “impeaching the testimony of a witness.”…

Legal Terms O – P

objection — a lawyer’s belief, stated to the judge, that something is wrong with a question posed by opposing counsel, the way opposing counsel phrases a question, or the way a witness answers it. If the judge thinks the objection …

Legal Terms Q – R

qualified wheel — the group of potential jurors who are not excused or exempted from the master wheel, and who are thus found eligible to serve. An individual on the qualified wheel may request a hardship excuse to be removed …

Legal Terms S – W

search warrant — a written court order authorizing a law enforcement officer to search certain premises for specified items and to seize the items described.

secured claim — in bankruptcy, a creditor’s interest in specific property of the debtor as …