Glossary of Legal Terms & Definitions
- Search Warrant A court-issued document, supported by probable cause, which allows the police to search specific locations for specified items.
- Self-help In the legal field, self-help refers to a person choosing to attempt to enforce their rights outside of the legal system. In the realm of family law, parents may attempt to use “self-help” to set a visitation schedule without court intervention. The downside to self-help in this context(...)
- Sentence After a criminal defendant is found guilty, the court orders or sentences them their punishment, which, among other terms, may include prison, jail, probation, and fines.
- Separation Agreement A written document created in a divorce proceeding that determines parental/child contact, child support, and parental rights without granting a divorce.
- Settlement When the parties to a court action, including a criminal or family law case, resolve their differences without going through a formal trial.
- Standard of Proof A standard by which a party must prove their case in court. In a civil case, the plaintiff must prove their case by a “preponderance of the evidence” or “clear and convincing evidence.” In a criminal case, the prosecutor must prove their case “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
- Standing A person or group’s legal right to bring a lawsuit or legal challenge.
- Statement After a person has witnessed a crime or incident in which the police are called, the police will ask that person to give a statement of their experience. That statement may be written or oral.
- Statute A term that refers to a law passed by the state or federal legislature.
- Statute of Limitations A law that designates the amount of time after an incident a party has to file an action in court or be prohibited from bringing the cause of action. In criminal law, most crimes have a set amount of time within which the prosecutor must bring charges against the accused.
- Stipulation An agreement between the parties of a lawsuit or other court action in which they agree certain laws or facts are assumed true and relevant.
- Subpoena A court order forcing a person to appear at trial or produce documents, or face penalties ordered by the court.
- Summary Judgment When, before the trial occurs, a judge decides there is no dispute as to the facts of the case and a party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.
- Summons A court issued document demanding a person appear in court or respond to a lawsuit, or risk having a judgment filed against them or a warrant issued for their arrest in the context of a criminal case.
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